


this is new to me, this is new to you

by yamagusheep



Series: single dad au [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alpha Otabek Altin, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anxiety Attacks, Blow Jobs, Communication, Dancer Yuri, Getting Together, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, Mechanic Otabek, Misunderstandings, Omega Yuri Plisetsky, Panic Attacks, Scenting, Single Dad Otabek, Single Parents, Slow Build, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-12
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-01-16 12:21:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 46,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12342606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamagusheep/pseuds/yamagusheep
Summary: 'A skinny, blond man now stood in front of Otabek. Otabek’s first thought was, “Wow, he’s attractive,” but his trailing thoughts are cut short when the man said, looking at Jackson, cat in his lap, “That’s my cat.”'Otabek Altin is a single 23 year old Alpha with a 2 year old son. Yuri Plisetsky is a 20 year old college student who has been dancing away his problems since he can remember. A meeting by chance brings these two lives together as they search for who they are and help each other to find what they've always wanted.





	1. this could be worth the risk

**Author's Note:**

> welcome! get ready for this rollercoaster! i've been working on this for quite a few weeks now and chapter 3 is when things really start to pick up! i have most of it planned already, all that needs to be done is the actual writing part. the first 2 chapters are shorter but i dont know consistency lmao
> 
> also! this IS a/b/o. it is NOT the main focus of this story, and it's pretty subtle, but it becomes important in later chapters, so if that isn't your cup of tea, just let this be your warning.
> 
> title of the story is a lyric from Location by Khalid.  
> title of the chapter is a lyric from Give Me a Try by The Wombats.
> 
> enjoy :-)

It was finally Sunday—the day of the week that Otabek loved most. Sunday was the day dedicated to spending time with Jackson, his two year old son. It was the day Otabek didn’t have to work himself to the bone, and it was the day he felt it was acceptable to be a little lazy.

This Sunday, Jackson had requested that they go to the park that was near their apartment complex (“The one with the big slide!” Jackson had said). It was close enough to walk, at least, so Otabek wouldn’t have to worry about filling up his tank sooner than absolutely necessary. Otabek agreed and even promised ice cream while they were there. It warmed Otabek’s heart to see his son smile so big. Otabek would do anything to see his son happy.

The two headed out, hand in hand, and Otabek listened as the chatty toddler talked his ear off about anything and everything he saw. Especially the animals. Otabek smiled and encouraged Jackson to keep talking as he was reminded of his own childhood; Jackson was the spitting image of himself, with dark hair and equally dark eyes, tan skin all around. He was adorable, still soft and plump with baby fat in his cheeks and limbs, and dressed in dark jeans and a dark shirt with tiny Vans on his feet—fall was settling in in the Midwest, just mid-September, and it was too hot for jackets, yet too breezy for shorts.

Jackson continued to ramble and babble about the pretty trees, which were just beginning to change color, not enough for the sights to be breathtaking, but enough to catch a two year old’s attention. The sky today was blue with big “marshmallow clouds”--Jackson’s words-- drifting above them every now and again. Otabek was happy that Jackson was appreciating nature and the simpler things around them; it reminded the him that he should do the same more often. Though, life always seemed to have other plans for him, always capturing his attention in ways he didn’t want or expect.

They arrived at the park after a nice, leisurely fifteen minute walk. Their time at the park was spent well, and Jackson had tons of fun playing with other kids, although most were older, and petting all the dogs he could find. The two shared ice cream and Oabek even played a few rounds of hide and seek with Jackson and some other kids. Needless to say, Otabek enjoyed himself just as much as his son did.

 

 

It was mid-afternoon now, and Otabek had to almost drag Jackson away from the slides, because he knew the little boy would be getting grumpy soon, having spent over two hours playing, and eating only ice cream. He needed a real meal and possibly a nap.

“Jack, we can go home and watch The Avengers,” Otabek goaded as Jackson continued to pout. “How does that sound?” After a couple moments of sullen contemplation, Jackson just nodded and started walking with Otabek, though his arms were crossed and his lower lip still stuck out. The glare on his face was remarkably similar to Otabek’s daily stoic stare. He chuckled to himself at the sight.

They began their trek back in the uncommon silence. Jackson was always so talkative, and that trait was usually the first tell-tale sign of what was wrong, or _when_ something was wrong. Otabek didn’t press, knowing it would just upset Jackson further, and walked at Jackson’s pace since the boy refused to hold his hand. Then, from around the corner of the building they were passing, a fluffy cat came prowling.

The white and brown-marked cat immediately caught Jackson’s attention and simultaneously cured his unhappiness about leaving the park.

“Kitty!” Jackson exclaimed, arms outstretched in front of him. The cat simply peered at the small human and it approached him, sniffing around first before it nuzzled into Jackson’s touch. Otabek noticed the collar around the cat’s neck, but decided against saying anything or picking the cat up, in fear that Jackson’s bad mood would return and he would start throwing a tantrum. Otabek watched on as Jackson got to his knees to pet the cat lovingly.

From down the alley from which the cat came from, there’s yelling in what sounds like Russian to Otabek, but Jackson is too distracted to care as the voice gets louder, and closer, and then is turning the corner.

A skinny, blond man now stood in front of Otabek. Otabek’s first thought was, “Wow, he’s attractive,” but his trailing thoughts are cut short when the man said, looking at Jackson, cat in his lap, “That’s my cat.”

His voice sounded like he was irritated, but not enough to yell—yet. Otabek stared and then Jackson spoke, his voice wobbly. “B-But….”

_Oh God, Jackson, please don’t cry…_

And then he’s crying. Otabek rushed to his knees next to his son, wiping his tears away. The cat still sat contentedly in his lap. “Jackson, it’s okay, you know we can’t keep him. Give the nice man his cat back, love.” Jackson started to cry louder.

The blond man looked absolutely distressed, despite his snarky, “It’s a she, and her name is Potya,” comment (that Otabek definitely heard) while he was trying to comfort Jackson, and his mouth is opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“Hey, kid, I’ll make you a deal,” the man finally spoke up, his pale hands clenched into fists at his sides.

Jackson sniffled, “What?”

“I’ll… if you give me Potya back… you can see her whenever you want, if your dad is okay with that….” The man is clearly unsure and making stuff up on the spot, but it gets Jackson’s attention, which was clearly his intent in the first place.

The toddler didn’t hear anything after “whenever you want” and immediately stopped crying. He gathers the cat in his small arms and the blond quickly picked her up, turning his back to leave, but is stopped when Otabek called him out.

“Hey, my son never forgets a promise.” Otabek’s statement is true—Jackson had an _insane_ memory. He was sure there was a term, but Jackson rarely got sick and they didn’t have a regular pediatrician or doctor, much less the money, to get him tested. The two grown men stare each other down for a hot moment and Otabek can practically see the fire in his green eyes. They are _very_ captivating. “Give me your number. I’m sure Jackson will want to come over soon.”

The blond frowns but shifted the cat to one arm, using the other to pull his phone out of his hoodie pocket. Otabek pulled his own phone out as well and they swapped, Otabek almost unashamed as their hands brushed each other’s. Being in close range, Otabek tried not to make it obvious he was trying to find Yuri’s scent. There isn’t one, which drew Otabek to believe this man was Beta.

“I’m Otabek, by the way. That’s my son, Jackson,” he said, his voice a bit terse. He’s wary of strangers, but the blond has already intrigued him. Plus, he had ran who-knows-how-long to find his cat. What would it hurt to possibly make a new friend? He barely had any to begin with.

“Yuri,” the blond said and handed his phone back at the same time Otabek does.

“It’s nice to meet you, Yuri. Although the circumstances are odd.”

“I’ve met people in weirder ways.” Otabek raised an eyebrow, only looking away when Jackson grabs his hand. “It’s a long story.”

“Maybe one of these days you can share it with me.”

“Maybe.”

They stand in silence before Jackson tugged at his father’s hand. “Dadda, I wanna watch The Avengers now,” he whined. Any sign of unhappiness about having the cat taken is gone. Then, he looks to Yuri. “Yuri, do you like The Avengers? My favorite is Iron Man.”

Yuri at first looked a little surprised, probably at the fact that a two-year-old remembered his name in passing, but he offered a smile. It’s thin and slightly strained, but it’s a smile nonetheless. “Yeah, The Avengers are super cool, dude. But Captain America is better.” Jackson gasped, as if he’s personally offended. Otabek watched their banter for a few minutes until Jackson yawned.  

“Okay, it’s time to go home, bud. Yuri, it was nice meeting you. I’m sure we’ll be in touch soon.” Yuri looked Otabek up and down and nodded once.

“Yeah, you too. And I sure hope so.” With those words, Yuri waved over his shoulder and headed back the way he came, but with his cat this time. Otabek felt his cheeks heat up, but he is brought back to reality when Jackson started to chat away and they resumed their walk home. Otabek failed to get the mysterious Yuri out of his mind.

For the rest of the night, Otabek and Jackson watched movies and Otabek cooked dinner. Their one bedroom apartment is small, but it’s home, and that’s enough for him. He knows he’ll need to make enough to find a new place by the time Jackson is seven, because they can’t always share a double bed and if Otabek ever wants to date, they _definitely_ can’t be sharing a bed. However, at the moment, Otabek’s only concerns are keeping Jackson housed, clothed, fed, and safe.

 

 

Days passed as usual; Otabek dropped Jackson off at his babysitter’s house in the morning, went to work, and picked Jackson up at almost seven o’clock each night. They would have dinner together, Otabek would read to Jackson or they would watch a movie, and he would put Jackson to bed before he even got around to showering and taking care of himself.

One thing was different, however, in those days, and it was the fact that Otabek had a sense of hope floating around him. He felt as if something in his life was going right for once, despite the fact that money was tight and Otabek worked an excessive amount of overtime to simply survive. Thoughts about how much Jackson’s sitter cost or how little he actually made after rent, food, and other bills were paid--not to mention Jackson’s necessities--were all in the back of his mind. Something about meeting Yuri, the strange, beautiful man had made Otabek hopeful. He liked it--he hoped the feeling would stick around.

 

 

* * *

 

Yuri was probably screwed--no, he was _definitely_ screwed. Why had he allowed himself to get his hopes up about Otabek actually contacting him? The man was gorgeous, and he had a son; he was probably mated and had probably forgotten about him. Plus, Yuri had probably scared Otabek off with his parting comment.

He flushed hot in embarrassment at the memory. God, he was so _stupid_.

They’d never see each other again. It was Thursday night, four days after their encounter, and if he hadn’t been contacted now, it would probably never happen. He hated that he allowed himself to practically salivate over the stranger for the past four days.

These thoughts were the reason Yuri nearly jumped out of his seat when he got a text from Otabek. He faintly heard Katsudon ask, worriedly, “Yuri, what’s wrong?” but Yuri was focused on the double-text from Otabek.

**Otabek**

> _Hey, it’s Otabek, from Sunday._

Yeah, as if Yuri didn’t remember the man with the stoic, yet gorgeous face, jawline, and body.

>> _Jackson was wondering about your cat and when we could see her again._

Yuri tried not to seem too eager to reply, but he decided that it was late enough in the night for it to be acceptable that he wasn’t doing anything else besides playing on his phone--which is exactly what he had been doing before he got Otabek’s texts.

**Sent**

> _hey!_

( _Oh god, should I really put the exclamation point?_ Yuri worried. He sent it anyway _._ ) 

>> _oh yeah, i mean i have classes on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays, and practice on saturdays. after 2 pm on any of my free days, and any time on sundays, is fine with me._

 

Yuri worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he waited for a reply. He saw the three dots appear and disappear, and then a message finally popped up. 

**Otabek**

> _Oh, okay. I work Mon-Sat from 9-7ish anyway, so it’d have to be pretty late, or on Sundays._

Yuri took the chance to learn a little about the attractive man.

**Sent**

> _oh damn, what do you do?_

>> _and any of those times you have available work. i’m normally done after 7 on school days and 6 on saturdays_

**Otabek**

> _I’m a mechanic. Hours are a little bit more flexible if you run your own shop, but I’m stuck with a company, so “flexibility” really means a lot of overtime. And is Sunday alright? Maybe after lunch time?_

Fuck, he was a mechanic? Yuri’s thoughts wandered to Otabek in a tight, possibly sleeveless shirt, muscles flexing….

Yuri took a deep breath. He really needed to stop while he was ahead—Otabek was probably happily mated and Yuri was purely involved because his son loved animals… specifically his cat. It was all chance that this happened, anyway. 

**Sent**

> _yeah, that works for me. text me a time and i’ll send my address._

 

**Otabek**

> _Will do._

 Yuri sent a thumbs-up emoji lastly, leaning back into the couch as he sighed heavily. He literally saw the man for like ten minutes, and yet, he already wanted to bang the dude. He really should deal with his sexual frustration better, instead of literally dancing it away.

Katsudon looked up at Yuri from his book. “What’s up?” he asked, setting the book on the arm of the chair. Yuri grunted, knowing he didn’t have to tell the Japanese man if he didn’t want to. He decided to take the offer, though, in hopes his frustration would ease, at the very least.

“You know when Potya accidentally got out?” Yuuri nodded. “Yeah, well, I ended up running into a really hot guy and his kid who caught her. We exchanged numbers because his son wanted to see Potya again, and he just texted me.”

“The problem?"

Yuri gawked at the older man. “He’s hot as fuck but he has a kid and is probably mated. I don’t even know if he’s an Alpha or not. _That’s_ the goddamn problem.”

Yuuri just shrugged and said wistfully, “You never know. Did he smell mated?”

Yuri scowled. Katsudon was asking really stupid fucking questions tonight, irritating the blond even further. He snapped, “You know my suppressants fuck up my sense of smell. He’s coming on Sunday, though, so you can tell me.”

“Viktor and I have parenting class at three on Sunday,” he said coolly. Oh, that’s right. Yuuri’s most recent heat was a three weeks ago and the result was that he was pregnant. They found out only a week and a half ago after pregnancy symptoms started appearing. Yuri had said he wasn’t looking forward to it, but all three men knew that that wasn’t true. He was happy for his older brother and Yuuri, as they had been trying for quite some time. Deep down, however, he wished for the kind of love they had. He would, of course, never ever admit that out loud.

“He’s probably coming over around noon or so. You’ll probably get a glimpse of him, at the very least.”

Yuuri picked his book back up and placed it in his lap. “Is his son cute?”

“I guess,” Yuri grumbled, sinking further into the couch. “He likes cats, though, so that’s cool.” Yuri heard the man across from him hum and that was the end of the conversation. It definitely didn’t help and relieved about one percent of his frustration. He stood from the couch and essentially stomped to his room. He just had to wait three days. That was it.

Yuri had a feeling they might just be the longest three days of his life.


	2. you're the only thing that's going on in my mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri and Otabek encounter each other for the first time since that fateful Sunday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i couldn't wait to post the chapter so here you all go! enjoy!
> 
> chapter title: UGH! by The 1975

The three days passed like Yuri knew they would: slowly. Slowly meant that Yuri had spent almost every minute of his free time worried about Sunday encroaching upon him; what he would wear, how he would act around the attractive man. And now, the day was here and Yuri wasn’t sure if he was ready.

It was about nine in the morning and Yuri forced himself out of bed to make breakfast. He knew occupying any free time would seem to make the day go by faster, and that’s what he was aiming for.

Both Yuuri and Viktor had the day off, as well. The blond entered the kitchen to find his older brother scenting Yuuri. He scrunched his nose in disgust, as if he could smell right. “Gross,” he spat plainly, walking past the couple to get to the fridge. “Go to your room and do that shit.” Viktor lifted his face from the junction of Yuuri’s shoulder and neck, faking a surprised gasp.

“So rude!”

“You want breakfast, don’t you?” Yuri snapped as he opened the fridge. His comment silenced Viktor, even though they all knew Yuri was making empty threats. He was pretty good at that.

Viktor was quite a bit older than Yuri, being that they were half-brothers; sharing a mother and having different fathers. The age difference seemed to make them clash quite a bit, but they knew they loved each other unconditionally. After all, Viktor provided Yuri with a room in their four-bedroom house, and he was paying what tuition wasn’t covered by his scholarship for dance, so long as Yuri got good grades and stayed out of serious trouble. Yuri was extremely grateful for his brother, who had done all of it out of love and support, not to get something back from him.

Yuuri was and had been a big part of Yuri’s life as well. He had been with Viktor for almost seven years now, and his influence over his big brother was appreciated. He was Viktor’s mate, his other half, and he was always more reasonable and less rash, and was mellow compared to the older man. Yuri appreciated his presence greatly, even though he could be harsh. The two men, however, knew Yuri so well that they knew when to push him and when to ignore his moods.

As Viktor had become a pediatrician (a job he was very good at and loved just as much), he was financially stable, plus some, and helped Yuuri follow his dream to run a daycare. They both loved children greatly, and now, after a couple years of trying with no luck, they were expecting. They were over the moon, and Yuri really couldn’t blame them. He just liked to give them a hard time.

The youngest of the three remained silent as he made French toast for everyone, not commenting when Viktor and Yuuri were more affection than ever. He supposed it would be like this the entire pregnancy. They sat together as a family and ate, making small talk, mostly about new things happening at work, school, and useless gossip about Yuri’s dance team. Yuri perked up when his phone dinged from his sweatpants’ pocket. He pulled it out eagerly and was elated to see it was Otabek.

He and Otabek had been talking for the past few days on and off; at night moreso. They got to know a little more about each other before they met again, and Yuri enjoyed it thoroughly. It felt refreshing to have someone to talk to that wasn’t Viktor or Katsudon that were too personal, or the guys and girls on his dance that were impersonal. It felt good to get to know someone genuinely. They talked about Yuri’s school and Otabek’s job, and funny stories that came from each. They connected well, Yuri felt, and it was nice because making friends didn’t come easily to Yuri, but talking to Otabek did.

The text from Otabek was a picture of his son smiling at the camera, holding up two peace signs. He looked like a miniature Otabek, really. The caption read, “J _ack can’t stop talking about Potya. He insists we leave now. Lol._ ”

Yuri grinned at his phone.

**Sent**

_ >i’m not even dressed yet. i wish i had as much energy as him lmao _

Cut out of his own world, Viktor spoke,  “What’s got you so happy lately?” Yuri’s head snapped up and he glared at Viktor, who just continued with a gasp, “Did my baby brother meet somebody?!”

“Fuck off, old man,” Yuri huffed with no malice. He was distracted again when his phone presented him with a notification.

**Otabek**

> _I’m not opposed to that._

>> _But yeah, don’t we all._

 

Yuri choked on his own spit. Was Otabek flirting with him? Instead of worrying about it and thinking into it too much, he replied, “i’ll see you at 1:30” and sent a selfie with a peace sign and his tongue stuck out a bit. They both had taken to sending each other pictures regularly, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary. This selfie just happened to be him in his low-hanging tank-top, collarbones prominent. He set his phone down and finished his breakfast, trying not to think too much about Otabek’s possibly-suggestive text.

 

* * *

 

Okay, so maybe Otabek was a little nervous. Maybe a lot nervous. In a few minutes, he and Jackson would be heading over to Yuri’s house; more specifically, the house of a very attractive man whose eyes he couldn’t forget. Earlier, Otabek had _really_ stepped out on a limb when he sent a semi-suggestive text to the blond, and he worried that he really fucked up when Yuri ended the conversation. However, the picture sent after it quelled most of Otabek’s nerves at the time. Now, they were returning as he was going to see when the beautiful, intriguing man lived and would be spending time with him.

“Jackson!” Otabek called from the living room. Not even ten seconds later, the little toddler came skidding down the short hallway. Otabek chuckled. “Ready to go?”

“I have been ready for forever, Dadda!” Jackson claimed, quickly pulling on his shoes at the door with a little bit of help. Otabek shot Yuri a quick “We’re on our way” text before he and Jackson set out the door, Otabek’s nerves settling in again.

 

They decided to walk to Yuri’s house which was about twenty minutes away, located in a very nice suburb, all of the homes probably worth more than his life and his possessions combined. Otabek knew Yuri lived with his brother and his brother’s mate, but he hadn’t asked or been told what exactly they did for a living. Obviously, if the house said anything, it said they were doing just fine. More than fine. The home was two stories with a two-car garage. The exterior was gray-scale, the top half a light gray siding, and the bottom half gray stone. It was a beautiful home, with many windows, and a lovely wrap-around porch. It was a family home, clearly. It probably had a big, fenced backyard, too. Otabek didn’t wish to have it, though, because he had Jackson, and that’s all he needed.

Otabek took a deep breath before knocking on the door to the two-story home. Jackson was practically shaking with excitement next to him, eager to see Potya again, and Otabek was amused that he wasn’t doing much better, though his own excitement was directed toward the owner of Potya. Otabek heard a dark bark when he knocked, and Jackson did too, if his gasp was any indication.

“They have a puppy, too?” Jackson asked, eyes as round as saucers. He _really_ loved animals.

“I guess so,” Otabek smiled, though Yuri had never mentioned it. He only ever talked about cats. Then, the door opened to reveal Yuri, holding Potya in one arm.

Otabek was trying his damnedest to not let his jaw drop. Yuri was wearing black leggings that hugged every muscle of his lower half and a loose tank-top that was similar to the one in his picture from that morning. His pale skin was exposed and Otabek avoided looking at Yuri’s neck or collarbones, afraid he might not be able to look away, like that morning. His hair was half up, half down, and _was he wearing makeup?_ Either way, the man was drop dead gorgeous, even in his casual attire. His body was obviously that of a dancer’s, in the way he was long and lithe, poised gracefully no matter how he stood.

Jackson stepping into the house snapped Otabek out of his thoughts (thank God, he had probably embarrassed himself enough already) and Yuri just smiled a little at his son and set Potya down so Jackson could pet her. Smiling looked good on him, Otabek thought, as opposed to his perpetual grimace. Then again, the same could probably be said about himself. Otabek stepped inside the home when Yuri beckoned him with the tilt of his head.

The first thing Otabek noticed was the smell. It was extremely strong, and very clearly _Alpha._ Otabek must have flinched or made a face because Yuri eyed him and asked, “Is it the smell?” Otabek nodded minutely. “Sorry about that. I didn’t think to diffuse it, since I can’t really smell it.” Otabek’s suspicions were confirmed just then-- he had thought Yuri was Beta, due to his barely-there scent and, now, his inability to smell. Yuri continued, “It’s Viktor. He and his mate just found out they’re expecting last week and they’ve been scenting each other every day.” He made a disgusted face and Otabek chuckled.

“Well, congratulations.”

Yuri scoffed and said with a surly attitude, “Yeah, as if they need anymore.” The look in the blond’s eyes showed he was happy, though.

Yuri and Otabek stood for a bit, Otabek feeling out of place in the nice home, in his old jeans and black t-shirt. They chatted quietly as they watched Jackson, talking about Yuri’s classes on Friday. Otabek discovered he was studying Sports Medicine, and Yuri said he was interested in being involved in sports in any way. After talking and a comfortable silence, Yuri asked, “Would you like something to drink?”

“Sure, water is fine,” Otabek answered with a gentle smile. Yuri fidgeted awkwardly for a moment.

“Jackson, would you like anything to drink? I have orange juice.” Otabek snickered at the sound of Yuri’s voice straining. He clearly didn’t know how to interact with children, and it was quite cute to watch.

“Yes please!” Jackson said while he laid on his back on the ground, allowing Potya to climb on him. Otabek took a picture.

Yuri left and came back moments later with a glass of water and a bottle of orange juice and handed them to the guests, although the little boy was a little preoccupied. Otabek thanked him as he took a drink.

“So is your brother home?” Otabek asked and winced internally at the awkwardness of his own voice and body language. It was much easier when they were texting, he realized.

“Ah, yeah. He’s probably in his room. Speaking of which, would you like a tour of the house?” Yuri asked tentatively.

“Sure.” Otabek told Jackson to keep doing what he was and not to go anywhere before he followed Yuri through the house, trying to avert his eyes from Yuri’s butt the whole time.

Needless to say, Otabek was a tad envious of the home in all of its modern glory. It was meant for a big family, and Otabek remembered his childhood and was simultaneously reminded of what he wanted in his future. During the tour, Yuri had kept saying that it was very “Viktor”. Otabek laughed at the scornful look on Yuri’s face each time he said it. Now, they were stopped in front of a door upstairs. “This is my room,” Yuri said as he opened the door.

Otabek’s eyes were first drawn to the large bed pushed against the farthest wall, covered by a leopard print comforter. He smirked, it seemed very fitting that Yuri was into big cats and their prints. Yuri moved to sit on the bed, inviting Otabek inside. He was suddenly aware that they were in a room, alone, together. He avoided eye contact and instead chose to examine the room. He moved closer to the bookshelf on the same wall as the door and looked over the top shelf, filled to the brim with medals and trophies and commemorative photos. They were all for Yuri’s dancing.

“Wow,” Otabek said plainly, though he was actually very impressed. His eyes noted all of the first place prizes, seeing a few second and third place prizes here a there. Some were for singles, some were for team. “You’re really good, Yuri. No wonder you got a scholarship.” He glanced to Yuri, who had stood up, and noticed he was blushing.

“Thanks, but we should go back downstairs to make sure Makkachin hasn’t licked your kid away.”

Otabek let out a hearty laugh and just followed Yuri back downstairs.

The sight they saw was probably one of the cutest Otabek had ever seen; Jackson was asleep with his head on the dog’s--Makkachin, Otabek recalled--belly, curled up with Potya. They had only been touring the home for ten minutes, but Otabek knew Jackson was probably already exhausted from being rambunctious all morning and then playing with the animals to his heart’s content.

Otabek took a ton of pictures and said to Yuri, “I think he used all of his energy being excited about coming.” Yuri was blushing again.

“He’s cute… I guess….” he grumbled and sat on the couch. Otabek joined him. They sat together in silence for a few minutes, scrolling on their phones, before they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “Must be Viktor and Katsudon.”

“Katsudon?” Otabek question the odd name.

“Oh, Yuuri. Other Yuuri. Japanese Yuuri. He’s Viktor’s mate,” Yuri explained, eyes still on his phone.

“That must be confusing.”

“That’s why he’s Katsudon,” Yuri smirked. Otabek didn’t ask for the story behind the nickname. He could save it for another time. Then, the two figures appear in the living room. Yuri got up. “Let’s go to the kitchen so we don’t wake up the tiny human.” Otabek nodded and followed Yuri, who was trailing the two other men.

When they were safely in the kitchen, Otabek got a good look at the couple. One was tall with silver hair and piercing blue eyes and he could immediately pick up the intense scent of the Alpha that had invaded every corner of the house. The other, shorter man was wearing blue-rimmed glasses and had jet black hair. He seemed very reserved with his body language. He smelled sweet and Otabek recognized the scent as _pregnant Omega._

“Viktor, Katsudon, this is Otabek,” Yuri said, grimace in place again. “Otabek, this is Viktor,” he pointed to the tall Alpha, “and this is Other Yuuri. Katsudon,” he pointed to the pregnant Omega.

Otabek shook their hands, Yuuri’s first, then Viktor’s a little more firmly, and said, “It’s nice to meet you.” Viktor grinned, and Otabek was a little surprised at how friendly he seemed.

“Nice to meet you too! Little Yurio here has told us _all_ about you!” he said very cheerfully. Otabek held in his smiled, but chuckled when Yuri told him to “shut the fuck up” in Russian. That was another thing Otabek hadn’t asked about yet, even though he had meant to.

“It’s nice to meet you, Otabek,” Yuuri interjected, smiling. “Your son is very adorable.” Otabek stood up a little straighter with pride.

“Thank you. I hear you’re expecting. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.” They exchanged more pleasantries and Otabek came to the conclusion that they were nice people. Viktor was a little overbearing, sure, but he seemed genuine. Yuuri and Otabek got along suspiciously well in the short time they had making small talk.

After about thirty minutes of casual conversation between all four men, the couple said goodbye as they had somewhere to be at three o’clock. They left, and it was, once again, just Yuri and Otabek. Deciding this was as good of a time as any, Otabek asked, “You speak Russian?”

“Oh. Yeah, Viktor and I were mostly raised in Russia. Him, moreso. We keep it in practice pretty often, even though we moved to the states twelve years ago. I prefer Russian to English, anyway.” Yuri flushed a little after he finished speaking, though Otabek wasn’t sure why.

Otabek smirked, “Why? ‘Cause it sounds angrier? It fits you, huh.”

Yuri playfully smacked Otabek’s arm, but he was smirking as well. “Yeah, that’s definitely it.” They laughed together, then Yuri asked, “Do you speak any other languages?”

“Yeah. Kazakh, actually, and Russian, as well. Though, my Russian isn’t as good as it used to be.”

“Where’d you learn them?” Yuri already knew Otabek was Kazakh from previous conversations, but he never mentioned he was born and raised there.

The question at hand, though, made Otabek’s stomach clench. “My parents,” he answered, his voice turning bitter even though he tried hard to avoid that from happening. “I grew up in Kazakhstan, my parents are Kazakh, it’s my mother tongue. But they also knew Russian and taught both me and my sister.” He hoped Yuri wouldn’t press for more than what he chose to give up, and he was immensely grateful when Yuri just said, “That’s cool.”

“Do you speak to Jackson in Kazakh? I’ve never heard.”

“Ah, yeah, I do. But being that he’s around English speakers more, it’s his first language.” He was glad the conversation turned to Jackson, but soon silence filled the space between them.

Then, out of nowhere, Otabek said, as inquiry, “So, about meeting people in weird ways…?”

Yuri’s face flushed brightly and he covered his eyes with his hand. “Oh, God.” Otabek chuckled and encouraged him to continue. “I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone in a worse way than Katsudon.” Otabek’s interest was piqued and he raised an eyebrow. “Well, I had _no idea_ Viktor was even seeing someone. He didn’t tell me. And I was fifteen, almost sixteen, mind you. So, I come from dance practice as usual and Viktor wasn’t in his office… or the kitchen… or the living room… nowhere he usually was. So, being curious, and very unaware, I go to bedroom--” Otabek puts a palm to his forehead, now knowing exactly where this was going.

“I didn’t hear anything, okay?” Yuri snapped defensively, his face even brighter than before. It was absolutely adorable. “Anyway. I just… walk right up into his room and, oh God, Otabek, it scarred me for life.” Otabek doubled over with laughter at the look on Yuri’s face. “We made _eye contact!_ It was the most embarrassing moment of my life, I think. And Viktor was gagged, Otabek--that’s the only reason he was quiet. He never shuts up.” Otabek was practically cackling and Yuri sounded like he was choking.

“That’s definitely weirder than how we met,” Otabek said, breathlessly, once he calmed down enough to speak.

“Yeah, I couldn’t look Katsudon or Viktor in the eyes for months after that. Ruined my innocence.”

Otabek snorted, “I doubt there was any to begin with.” Yuri just snickered.

They went back to the living room and Otabek stared lovingly at Jackson, who was still sound asleep with the animals. “I think he’ll want to come back,” Otabek said, turning back to Yuri.

“Yeah, sure. Anytime.”

Otabek took a breath, trying to build confidence in his voice. “Is Sunday okay again?” Really, he just wanted more reasons to see Yuri. His interest in the man was rapidly growing, and he thought he deserved to indulge, just a little bit, anyway.

“Perfect,” Yuri replied with one of those smiles that had Otabek’s stomach fluttering.

 

* * *

 

Otabek and Jackson left at around 3:30 that day, and Yuri was left home alone to think about the day over and over. He actually had fun-- Jackson wasn’t annoying and he didn’t cry all the time like Yuri had honestly expected. He was rather cute, and he could see how much Otabek loved his son. It was heart-warming, to say the least.

And yet, there was no mention of Jackson’s mother. It had Yuri curious, but he knew that he might hear of it as he and Otabek continued to talk. Now, though, Yuri was impatiently waiting for Katsudon and Viktor to return so he could ask about Otabek’s scent. He knew it sounded creepy in his head, and he was sure it would sound worse out loud, but he really wanted to know if he had a chance, or if he could even get his hopes up to begin with.

 

 

It was about 5:45 when Viktor and Yuuri finally returned. Yuri practically jumped from his seat in anticipation. “How’d it go?” Yuri asked, though he was itching to get through small talk.

“It went well,” Yuuri answered softly, toeing his shoes off at the door. Viktor followed suit. “More of an introduction to the class with informational stuff.” Yuri just hummed.

Deciding he couldn’t wait much longer, he asked, “So, what’d you think of Otabek?” Although they were newfound friends, and nowhere near and probably would never be lovers or anything more, Yuri still wanted his closet family to approve of his friendship.

Viktor spoke first, “He was very… traditional? I don’t really know how to explain it. Oh, and since you’re so eager, he’s an Alpha. He’s got a strong scent, it was kind of unnerving since he was around my Yuuri. But I liked him. And his son.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri agreed easily, “he was really polite. Quiet.”

“Did he smell…” Yuri wanted to know so badly and he was impatient, but he was embarrassed at sounding so eager. He blushed.

“Nope!” Viktor smiled. “My baby brother has a chance!”

Blushing deeper, Yuri said, despite himself, “Shut the fuck up.” He turned to go to his room and grumbled quietly, “Thanks,” over his shoulder before leaving, letting a feeling of relief, happiness, and hope wash over him, and he let a small smile grace his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a reminder: comments fuel me
> 
> let me know what you think! 
> 
> next chapter: things start to heat up!


	3. you took me in, brought me to life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri does Otabek a favor, which leads to a safe routine; Yuri and Jackson have some bonding time; Otabek gets a lot of help; and Yuuri's birthday is here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok here she is! i hope you enjoy this chapter!! the story really picks up here, so please enjoy!
> 
> chapter warning: there is a short description of an anxiety attack in this chapter in case anyone is sensitive to that kind of stuff. if you want to skip it, even though it's pretty important to the story, it starts with "His breathing became shallow..." and ends at "He felt weak..." 
> 
> chapter title: Sleepy Eyes by Elohim & Whethan

Two months came and went in a blur. It was mid November and Otabek found that Yuri settled nicely into his and Jackson’s lives. They had gone over nearly every Sunday for lunch that Yuri made (he was a really good cook) and sometimes they would meet up for coffee in the mornings before Otabek dropped off Jackson and Yuri went to class. Their friendship had blossomed quickly, and Otabek was amazed at how  _ easy _ it was in comparison to any attempt to make other friends in the past. At some point in conversation, Otabek brought this up and was oddly pleased when Yuri felt the same way and agreed with him. 

Otabek was also  _ painfully _ aware of how attracted he was to Yuri, but he never flirted, as he was pretty sure the younger man wasn’t interested, if his first attempt was anything to go by that first day they went to Yuri’s house. Plus, Yuri never asked if he was single, and they never talked about anything close to romance or relationships. Nevertheless, Otabek was perfectly content with having Yuri be his best friend-- that was all he needed, anyway.

It was Wednesday morning, and Otabek had been having a good week so far. He should have known it would come to a halt. He got a call from Jackson’s normal babysitter as he was finishing breakfast with Jackson. She had fallen ill and couldn’t watch him today, she told him, and Otabek wished her well and that was that. He was beginning to fret over who was going to watch Jackson. There was no way in hell he could call into work. 

So, he called his two back-ups, and he should have known luck wouldn’t be on his side when he got bad news in the morning. Both men he called for backup were unavailable.

Otabek was desperate, and it was almost time to leave the apartment. Otabek was about to panic as he called the only person he had left: Yuri. He put his phone to his ear and prayed to any gods above that Yuri would answer. 

He almost cried in relief when Yuri’s voice cut across the line, clearly groggy with sleep. How cute, Otabek thought for a moment, but gave his friend a sarcastic, “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.” 

“Fuck you, Beka,” Yuri mumbled into the phone. The nickname was one Yuri started called him a month into their friendship and Otabek adored it. He came up with calling Yuri “Yura” and they were even. 

“Oh, there’s the angry kitten,” Otabek joked, but before Yuri could insult him further, he asked seriously, “Hey, Yuri?” 

“Yeah?” Yuri said, suddenly sounding more awake.

“I have a favor to ask you. Um, I know you probably can’t, and it’s short notice, but I really can’t call into work--”

“Get to the point.”

“Okay, yeah, Jackson’s babysitter called in and no one else can watch him… I was wondering if maybe you could. Or if Yuuri could. I don’t know what else to do.”

“I can skip class for a day.” 

“Are you sure? I’m going to be late if I don’t go straight to work.” 

Yuri sounded exasperated, “Beka, I’m sure. I’ll come pick him up, okay?” 

Otabek smiled, relief washing over him. He really was so lucky to have Yuri in his life. “Okay. Thank you so much, Yura. You’re the best. I’ll see you soon, then.” 

Otabek really needed to keep his feelings in check.

 

* * *

 

Yuri arrived at Otabek’s workplace just after his shift began. He parked in the crowded parking lot and he couldn’t help but feel a little excited at the prospect of seeing Otabek in his  _ actual _ work-wear…. Okay, maybe he got a little carried away. But the thoughts he had about Otabek were calming in comparison to the anxiousness he was feeling about taking care of a child for a day. 

He exited his car and entered the shop to find Jackson in the small lobby, reading a children’s book on one of the chairs. He was behaved, as usual. Yuri couldn’t help but smile when Jackson looked up and gasped, “Yuri!” and immediately clambered out of the chair to give Yuri a hug. 

Yuri happily knelt to the floor to give the boy a hug, consequently picking him up. Just at that moment, Otabek walked out, in a black, fitted, sleeveless shirt with the company logo over the breast. Yuri tried (and failed) to look away from Otabek’s arms, rippling with toned muscle. Holy fuck. He only looked up to see Otabek’s gorgeous smile that he didn’t wear enough. The older man came around the counter to meet Yuri and Jackson where they stood. 

“Thank you so much, Yura,” Otabek repeated. Yuri just smiled and shifted Jackson to one hip. 

“Don’t worry about it, Beka. What are friends for?” He flashed a small smile. “Jackson and I get along well. Plus, I like extending his vocabulary.” Yuri snickered when Otabek frowned. “It can’t hurt if it’s in another language!” Yuri laughed and earned a chuckle from Otabek. 

“Jackson, I give you permission to hit Yuri if he teaches you a bad word,” Otabek said seriously, his face stony. Then, the two older men started laughing. 

“You wouldn’t hit your favorite, would you, Jack?” Yuri asked the boy with a smirk. Jackson shook his head. “That’s what I thought.” Otabek smiled and gave his son a kiss on the cheek. Yuri felt that this scene looked and felt incredibly domestic and in that moment, Yuri wanted it so badly. 

Yuri wanted Otabek in anyway the Alpha would give him. And now, it was just as best friends. 

Yuri didn’t let his sudden emotion show, though, and watched Otabek speak to his son. “Be good for Yuri,” he murmured and Jackson nodded. “Yuri, thank you so much, again, really. Um, his bag and car seat are in my car.” Otabek pulled his keys out of his pocket and handed them to Yuri. “Do you mind getting them?” Yuri thought about how cute Otabek looked when he was sheepish. 

Yuri took the keys with his free hand and shook his head. Otabek laughed nervously, “Bring those back, yeah?” 

Yuri rolled his eyes with a grin. “Nope, I’m just gonna steal your car  _ and _ your kid.” With that, he headed out the door, cackling loudly. He found Beka’s ugly green car easily. It was old and well-used, but being that its owner was a mechanic, it was safe and in good condition. Yuri set Jackson down and instead held his hand as he transferred the bag and seat into his own car, a fairly-new, but used, blue Toyota Corolla. He saved up for it through odd jobs, and Viktor agreed to match him. 

“Let’s go say bye to your dadda,” Yuri said to Jackson as he shut the car door. He smiled at the small boy still holding his hand. Jackson smiled back and nodded, and as Yuri walked, Jackson skipped back into the lobby.

“Dadda!” he called out. Yuri stood behind the boy now, and Otabek appeared again from the doorway between the lobby and the shop. “Bye!”

Yuri watched as Otabek smiled and came out from the behind the counter again, getting to his knees on the floor to kiss Jackson’s cheek again and gave him a hug. Yuri felt something inside him tug in every which way and he  _ wanted _ . He took a deep breath to calm himself as he focused back on the small family in front of him. “Bye, Jack. Have a good day.” Then, Jackson turned back around happily, grabbing Yuri’s hand again. Yuri gave Otabek his keys back. 

“Have a good day, Beka,” Yuri said softly as he gazed at the mechanic. He never was this sincere, but it was Otabek, and Otabek deserved it.

“You too, Yura.” 

 

 

Yuri decided that, since he was skipping class, he might as well make his and Jackson’s day fun. Their first stop: breakfast. Otabek had texted him shortly after they left, saying they hadn’t had breakfast due to the morning’s events, and then with a short explanation of what to expect and notes about child care; Jackson was potty trained (make sure to remind him after you eat), Jackson doesn’t like being fed by other people (he’s a “big boy” now), and so on. Yuri couldn’t help but smile when he first saw those texts. 

Yuri had picked out a small donut shop/diner near the edge of the city, though it wasn’t too far in relation to his house. It was quaint and smelled like syrup immediately after stepping inside. Showcased first and foremost were the donuts. Jackson gasped when he saw them, just like Yuri knew he would. 

“Alright, Jack, pick out the one you want,” Yuri said as they walked up to the counter. Luckily, the shop wasn’t busy so service was there quickly, provided to them by a teenage girl. 

“What can I get for you guys today?” she asked sweetly with a customer-service smile. Yuri chuckled internally.

Yuri ordered a cinnamon twist for himself. After much deliberation, Jackson pointed to a donut on the top shelf. It was chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and sprinkled with M&M’s. “Are these for here or to-go?” the waitress asked, grabbing their donuts with a wax-paper sheet.

“For here, please. We’ll be having breakfast as well,” Yuri answered. She nodded and put their donuts on paper plates, handing them to Yuri. Yuri gave Jackson his and he looked like he had been handed the world. 

“Thank you!” Jackson chimed, now impatient to sit and eat. Yuri laughed softly and he walked to the back room with Jackson, choosing an empty booth. They ordered drinks-- a coffee for Yuri, a chocolate milk for Jackson-- and then breakfast. While they waited, Yuri watched fondly as Jackson talked about his other babysitter and how they didn’t do anything fun before.

“My other babysitter never got me donuts. This is the first time ever! They’re so good!” Jackson said in between bites. Chocolate covered his fingers and mouth. Yuri quietly took a picture. 

“So you’ve never had a donut?” Yuri asked, a little disbelieving. Donuts were practically child treats. 

“Nope! Dadda says we can’t spend money on ‘em.” Suddenly, Jackson’s demeanor changed and he said, “A lot of things are too expensive… but that’s okay, ‘cause Dadda says we’ll always have each other and that’s all that matters!” His usual, bright self was back as quickly as it left.

Yuri couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the small family. He didn’t know what it was like to not have funds. He knew that Otabek wasn’t exactly rolling in money, despite working his ass off, but he didn’t know that Otabek couldn’t afford to treat Jackson to a donut. Otabek never brought it up, but it was evident in his actions and he knew most of it through Jackson. He still knew little to nothing about Jackson’s mother, much less Otabek’s love life. He only knew he was unmated and single. He hadn’t once been to Otabek’s apartment-- Otabek had joked that it probably couldn’t fit three people, but now, Yuri wondered how much reality was hidden in Otabek’s humor. He got the sudden urge to want to  _ know _ Otabek, to know who he was; what he felt like; his deepest dreams and darkest secrets. He wanted to be there every step of the way in helping him and he wanted to become a part of his life forever. Otabek had opened up to him, sure, and Yuri to Otabek, but there was still so much that Yuri was eager to learn about him. 

Their food arrived and Yuri cleaned Jackson’s hand and face before they began eating. Jackson had ordered a chocolate-chip pancake (Yuri discovered his favorite sweet was chocolate), and Yuri ordered a veggie omelet. Spending alone time with Jackson made Yuri realize how bright he was for a two-year-old. He filed this away for a conversation with Otabek. There were a lot of those; he was just too cowardly to bring them up first or there just wasn’t an appropriate time to do so. In their two months of friendship, all of their time together had been spent with Jackson. Not that Yuri was complaining, he had come to love the little boy, it was just hard to talk about certain things with a two-year-old’s ears in the same room. Maybe one day, though. 

 

After breakfast, Yuri took Jackson to Yuuri’s daycare to drop in and say hello. Plus, he thought Jackson would enjoy playing with other kids his age. He brought breakfast for Yuuri and the rest of the crew, which included Yuuri’s best friend, Phichit, a shy but sweet Omega named Guang Hong who wasn’t much older than Yuri himself, and an outgoing girl named Sara. They were all close to Yuuri and Yuri begrudgingly acquainted with them. (He didn’t hate them, he guessed.) When he walked in, he found that he was right about Jackson wanting to play with other kids; right away, he joined some other kids in conversation and drawing. Yuri took a couple pictures and sent them to Otabek, along with the one from breakfast. Katsudon stood from where he sat at the arts and crafts table, and he walked to greet Yuri where he still stood at the door. Yuri noticed that the Japanese man was practically glowing, probably from the pregnancy. Oddly enough, he was already showing a little bit as well. 

“Yuri! I never thought I’d see the day where you take care of a child willingly,” Yuuri said, a little teasingly, and the Russian felt exposed. Katsudon knew him almost  _ too _ well. Perhaps Yuri wasn’t doing this just for Beka. A part of him wanted children one day, and being that he had a giant crush on Otabek, he wanted to show him that he cared about those closest to him, and that included Jackson. He wanted to show Otabek that he could be a good mother, too. The thought terrified him and excited him all at once. 

Yuri had always run from instinct, ever since he first presented as an Omega at sixteen. He hated feeling weak in his own body; hated being looked down on because of his secondary gender; hated being a “freak” because his naturally-aggressive personality contradicted the stereotypical Omega personality. He went on suppressants first, so he would have to deal with four heats a year, lowering it to just one. Then, he went on scent-blockers when he started college so his other dance team members wouldn’t underestimate him. Plus, it just made things easier. 

Now, though, as Yuri matured, he felt more and more inclined to just give in.  _ Especially _ after meeting Otabek and Jackson. Yuuri was right, though. The Russian had never been particularly fond of kids, but Jackson was a different story. The Omega in him was naturally coming through when he was around Jackson-- it made it easy to care and nurture. That’s why all the staff, excluding Phichit, at the daycare were Omega. They were good at their jobs naturally and they loved it. It was just ideal. 

“Otabek needed a last minute sitter,” Yuri finally grumbled as he took a seat in a green beanbag chair. He watched the kids play, giggling as they scribbled to their hearts content.

“Oh? Doesn’t he know that your brother-in-law owns the best daycare in town?” Yuuri asked, an edge to his voice, as if Yuri was missing something completely.

“Um, yeah? I don’t think he can afford it, though,” Yuri said, sinking back into the beanbag chair completely. He looked to Yuuri, who looked at him like he was stupid. He scowled right back.

“Yurio. Use your head.” 

“That’s not my fu-- that’s not my name,” Yuri snapped, glad he caught himself from cussing in front of children.

“Yuri. I’m your brother-in-law. I own this daycare. The man you are pining after has a son. He’s worried about price. I can’t believe I have to spell it out for you-- I thought you were smarter than this and I’m genuinely surprised you haven’t done it without asking by now.” Yuuri sounded smug but exasperated at the same time. 

Yuri was opening his mouth to say something snarky when it hit him. It clicked. He sat up straight in his chair. “Katsudon, you would really do that?!” 

Quietly, Yuuri said as he smirked, “I’m trying to help you get laid, of course I would.”

Yuri gawked but he got up to give the man a big hug. “Otabek’s going to love this.”    
  
  


 

After their time at the daycare, the two went to the park, then they stopped by the house for a couple hours so Jackson could get his fix of animals. Yuri also gathered his things for dance practice, and it was decided that Jackson would be joining him. They ate a late lunch together and then they left for Yuri’s practice around 2:15. 

And now, like Yuri expected, everyone on his dance squad was cooing over Jackson and how cute he was. He literally walked in the door and they were immediately bombarded with questions and exclamations of adoration. Jackson was absolutely loving the attention, but Yuri thought he might have an aneurysm from irritation from all the smirks and  _ looks _ he was getting. Mila, an Alpha girl on the team, the only one he really “talked” to (he would never say it out loud, but they were begrudging friends), asked knowingly, “Whose kid is it?” with a smirk. The whole team knew of Yuri’s distaste for most living things, except cats. No one expected him, of all people, to be the one to bring a kid to practice out of nowhere. 

“A friend’s,” he answered dismissively, setting his bag down in the corner of the studio. 

“Are you sure? Is our Russian Fairy seeing someone?” Mila practically purred, teasing him. Then, she gasped, feigning innocence as she asked, “Is he  _ daddy  _ material?” 

That did it. “Shut up, hag!” he sneered. She only laughed, patted him on the back roughly, and went back to where everyone else had gone to ask the young toddler questions that he was eager to answer, in length.  Soon, though, they were all stretching and Jackson sat on a chair that was near the door, watching everyone practice in awe. 

Yuri felt bad for leaving him alone, but he looked pretty content, and when someone would take a water break, they all made sure to talk to the toddler. Yuri would never admit, but he was grateful for that. They were treating him well, at least.

The rest of practice was filled with teasing from his teammates, adoration towards Jackson, and Jackson complimenting everyone the whole time. Jackson even managed to win Lilia Baranovskaya’s, former prima ballerina, their current coach’s, heart, and she was a tough one to crack. After that, instead of Jackson being in awe of the dancers, the dancers were in awe of the toddler, who was so charming for only being two. Yuri couldn’t help but feel a little proud, and it was so weird, because it wasn’t even his own kid. Yuri quit his thinking before it went too far. 

Near the end of practice, Jackson told Yuri he wanted to be just like him, and it warmed his heart. He had told him he would teach him something cool one day. That had Jackson grinning until the end of practice.

 

Practice ended at 5:30 and Yuri knew Jackson was due for a nap, despite his very excited rambling about the dance practice he witnessed. Sure enough, the toddler had fallen asleep on the short car ride home. He didn’t even have to look in the rearview mirror to tell-- it was the lack of chatter or singing. When he pulled into the garage and parked, Yuri snapped a picture of the peacefully sleeping toddler and sent it to Otabek, captioned “long days call for long naps”, and carefully got Jackson out of the car without waking him. 

Yuri took Jackson inside and laid on the couch, meticulous about laying Jackson with him. He wrapped one arm around him protectively. His insides felt warm and fuzzy and he realized how  _ happy _ this made him. With those thoughts, Yuri joined Jackson in napping.

 

* * *

 

Otabek was in a great mood when he got out of work. First of all, all day he received adorable pictures of Jackson and even some selfies of Yuri and his son together--his two favorite people. It looked like Jackson had a great day. Secondly, he got off at six instead of his usual closer to seven, and now, he was on his way to pick up Jackson from Yuri’s. He had sent an “on my way” text, yet there was no reply by the time he arrived at Yuri’s house nearly fifteen minutes later.

With a small frown as he got out of the car, Otabek approached and knocked on the front door. He was mildly surprised when Viktor was the one to open the door, wearing casual clothes and an apron, implying that he had been cooking, but he was sporting his usual grin. 

“Otabek! Good to see you,” Viktor said jovially, inviting him inside. “Yuri and Jackson are taking a nap.” Otabek swore he saw a flash of a smirk but he didn’t dwell on it too much when the rest of his thoughts were about how cute they probably looked. 

The two Alphas came to a stop in the living room and Otabek’s heart jumped at the sight of Yuri peacefully asleep with Jackson’s head on his chest, his small body in between the back of the couch and Yuri’s body. Yuri had an arm behind his head and the other was around Jackson’s back. Otabek pulled out his phone and took about twenty pictures. Viktor joined him. 

When the two men finished their photoshoot, they headed into the dining room silently. When they sat, Viktor smiled at him, but it was… different. It wasn’t exactly his usual heart-shaped smile, but rather, it was thoughtful and almost calculating. Otabek tried not to feel unnerved. Then, he spoke. “You know, Yuri has never been one to deal with children.” Otabek wasn’t sure what he was getting at but he nodded. After that, Viktor’s smile returned. “Would you like to stay for dinner?” he asked, standing up. 

Otabek was a little taken by the sudden change in mood, and he already felt bad enough about Yuri skipping class to watch Jackson. He didn’t want to burden his family anymore. “I wouldn’t want to impose--” he began, but Viktor just clapped his hands together, chirping, “Wonderful! We’re having Japanese tonight!” With that, Viktor basically pranced out of the dining room, into the kitchen and left Otabek alone. 

The Kazakh wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He was still gross from work; he was sweaty and smelled like motor oil, rubber, and machinery. He decided to join Yuri and Jackson in the living room and he took a seat on the chair across from the couch. He played on his phone for a bit but then decided to go through his photos. He had saved every single picture that Yuri had sent him, from their past conversations and today, and he smiled at the images of Jackson playing with other kids at the daycare, and eating, and making faces with Yuri. In one with Yuri, both boys held up their middle fingers, Yuri smirking and Jackson smiling like he didn’t know what he was doing was bad. When he received that at work, Otabek nearly choked on his own spit and texted Yuri  _ very _ rapidly and angrily. He knew Yuri was probably laughing at his responses, and had told him that he made sure Jackson knew to only use the gesture at home. Otabek, now, chuckled at the new memory. 

Otabek kept scrolling through the photos until he reached the pictures he had just taken of them sleeping. Pursing his lips and hoping it wasn’t too creepy, Otabek set the best one as his lock and home screen. It made him feel bubbly-- a feeling he had missed since he was twenty. Four years later, the feeling had been forgotten until Yuri came along. He really brightened his whole life in ways Otabek couldn’t imagine before. 

Ten minutes of web-surfing and game-playing later, Otabek heard Yuuri arrive home. He wondered how late he normally stayed at the daycare, since it was now nearing seven. He got up to greet the Omega and wandered into the entryway, where Yuuri was taking his shoes off. Yuuri looked up at the sound of footsteps and smiled at him.

“Otabek, it’s good to see you,” Yuuri said in his gentle voice.

“You too, Yuuri. Did you just get done at the daycare?” Otabek asked curiously.

Yuuri just smiled and gestured for Otabek to follow him into the dining room, where Viktor greeted Yuuri with a long kiss that Otabek had to look away from. It left Yuuri blushing, too. Viktor decided he was satisfied and bounced back to the kitchen. When he did so, Yuuri answered, “Since we found out I’m pregnant I’ve been coming home earlier and letting my coworkers take over more, but today I had to run some errands. Did Yuri tell you he stopped by with Jackson?”

Otabek smiled, remembering the pictures. “Yeah, he did. It’s good for Jackson to interact with other kids, especially with how fast he’s developing.” Yuuri nodded.

“You have an incredibly smart boy, that’s for sure.”

Otabek felt pride bloom in his chest. He really did and he knew it. Jackson started speaking at just ten months old, and that’s when Otabek knew that Jackson was brighter than most. The next question Yuuri asked him, though, made him want to cower in embarrassment. “When was the last time he got a check up? He should get tested; it would be good for him.” 

The fact that Otabek couldn’t provide his son with everything he needed or wanted made the Alpha within him wince and hurt. It was, quite literally, second nature to want, to need, to provide the best for loved ones--especially mates and children. The need was amplified if those loved ones happened to be Omegas. “Um… I don’t remember, honestly. I think when he was a year old? I don’t-- I don’t really have the means for regular checkups, and my insurance isn’t the best….” He saw Yuuri frown, and he avoided his heavy gaze. He knew that Alphas should be better, that he was a shitty dad--

“I would be happy to help,” Viktor’s voice rang from the kitchen. He reappeared in the archway. “Would you like to make an appointment with Dr. Nikiforov-Katsuki?” he asked, using what sounded like his ‘doctor voice’. 

“I couldn’t accept that,” Otabek said, feeling flustered, which was unusual. He disliked the feeling of being embarrassed and not knowing how to react. 

“I insist. That boy needs it, you deserve it,” Viktor pressed, eyes serious. It was intimidating to be under that gaze, but Otabek stood up straighter out of instinct. 

“I-I can’t afford--” Otabek started. They had to have figured that part of his life out by now, but he was interrupted again by the other Alpha. 

“Then how about we trade services, hm? I’d like to be Jackson’s pediatrician if you’ll be our family mechanic. It’s fair, isn’t it?”

Otabek thought for a moment, his mind racing. Viktor was right, it was fair. It wouldn’t be like he was taking a service for free and giving nothing at all in return. He could provide a service everybody needed fairly regularly, and Viktor could provide a service that was a crucial part of Jackson’s health. 

“Okay,” Otabek decided. At that, Viktor smiled, nodded, and returned to cooking.

Still, his voice rang clear, “Wonderful! I would like to see him soon, and one of our cars needs its oil changed.” Otabek stared at Viktor from where he stood in the dining room. This man really always got what he wanted, huh? He smirked to himself, remembering a conversation with Yuri about Viktor. (Really, it was less of a conversation and more of a one-sided string of texts roasting Viktor.) 

Otabek then moved to sit at the table while both Viktor and Yuuri cooked, feeling like a burden for staying for dinner; for having Yuri watch Jackson; for taking Viktor’s service out of necessity. He really was a shitty Alpha. No wonder he didn’t have a mate-- he couldn’t even keep the mother of his child around. Otabek knew his thoughts were going downhill but he couldn’t stop them from happening. His brain kept throwing memories to the forefront of his mind, reminding him of how inadequate he was. His breathing became shallow and quick, and his vision tunneled just as Yuri walked into the dining room, where he sat alone with only his thoughts. 

Before he knew what was happening, he heard Yuri’s voice, a little groggy from his nap, in his ear, instructing him to breathe and starting a rhythm. He felt a hand on his shoulder and another one on his cheek as he tried to focus on Yuri’s voice, saying calmly, “In… and out,” over and over until Otabek’s breathing became somewhat normal, if not a little shaky. He opened his eyes and he flushed in humiliation. He felt weak from the sudden anxiety attack, and weak as an Alpha in general. 

“I’m sorry,” Otabek whispered when he finally found his voice. His eyes practically burned holes into the floor. He had been trying not to cry. Yuri’s hands were still on his shoulder and jaw. It was comforting but embarrassing all the same. 

“Beka, don’t be sorry. There’s nothing to apologize for.” Otabek wanted to disagree but he didn’t want to bring on another attack. “Do you want to talk about it?” the blond asked quietly, green eyes searching brown. 

“Not… not right now,” Otabek answered gruffly. His unspoken words said  _ later, though _ , and Yuri left it at that. Otabek finally looked up to meet Yuri’s eyes, and he saw that they were full of worry and concern, and suddenly, this seemed to be a moment too intimate for friends. 

“Okay,” Yuri said, taking his hands off Otabek. Otabek tried not to frown at the loss of contact. However, he was grateful that his best friend understood that he wanted to calm down before reliving all the bad memories. He knew he had to get it off his chest, though, and Yuri would listen when he was ready, as Otabek had listened to Yuri rant on multiple occasions, and Otabek would give his best advice. That’s how their friendship was. There was no pressure, and now, Otabek was grateful for that more than ever. 

A silence followed and it wasn’t awkward, but it was uncomfortable. Otabek asked, “So, where’s Jackson?” to get rid of the silence and to turn the subject away from what just happened. Yuri took a seat next to him at the table, propping his feet up on the chair across from him. 

“He’s still napping. He had a long day today, but I think he had a lot of fun.” Yuri continued on about their day and hearing him talk made Otabek feel better. Soon, dinner was ready and Otabek went to wake Jackson up, using food as leverage. It worked. 

 

Dinner ended up being a blast. Jackson couldn’t stop talking about the day, and he was especially enthusiastic about Yuri’s dance practice. They ate to their hearts’ content-- Japanese curry and miso soup and an array of fruits and vegetables and salad available across the table for everyone to help themselves to. It was delicious, and Otabek forgot all of his worries momentarily as he was surrounded by his closest friends and loved ones. It was crazy to think about how easily he and Yuri became close friends and how his family basically took him and Jackson as family, as well. Otabek was grateful. 

Chatter and jokes were exchanged at the table, and when they were finished eating, Otabek helped clean up with Viktor as both Yuris went to play with Jackson. Otabek helped put away leftovers and wiped off the table and counters as Viktor did the dishes. It was fairly quiet except for the sound of running water, clattering of dishes, and the fridge opening and closing. 

“Thank you,” Otabek decided to say, because he really meant it and he wanted the man to know he really appreciated everything. Viktor just smiled.

“Of course, Otabek. You’re our friend, your Yuri’s best friend, and to be honest, you’re practically family at this point.”  _ Family. _ The word rang loud and clear through Otabek’s mind and he really felt like crying-- the fact that Viktor thought of him and Jackson so highly meant a lot, but the word brought back painful memories as well. He didn’t say anything, though, and he was wearing his well-practiced indifferent face. He just let the word reverberate in his head and what it meant to him. 

Ever since Jackson was born, his son was his only family. Since he met Yuri, the word took a different meaning. Yuri’s family treated him how family should treat each other-- that’s more than he could say about his biological family. Viktor and Yuuri and Yuri all cared about him and his wellbeing, and Jackson’s too. Viktor’s words meant more to him than anyone could know. 

Somehow, everybody ended up in the living room and Otabek and Yuri shared a look that said they needed to talk. Yuuri, being observant, was quick to notice and said, “Viktor, Jackson, why don’t we talk Makkachin on a walk?” Otabek was grateful for Yuuri’s ability to pick up on their vibe, and the three others left shortly, leaving Yuri and Otabek alone. It was odd to know that there were no other prying ears or a small child they had to watch their language around. 

Otabek spoke first. “Yura, thank you for today. I don’t know how to make it up to you.” He paused. “I don’t know what I would do without you. Shit, I don’t know how I made it this far with how I am.” 

Yuri gave him a rare, soft smile. Otabek’s heart raced, and it wasn’t from nerves. “Beka, I wanted to talk to you.”  _ Oh, god, _ Otabek thought.  _ Now, _ his heart raced from nerves. Yuri must have noticed the change in Otabek, because he rushed to say, “It’s nothing bad! Promise.” Otabek nodded. “Um, well, I know your financial situation isn’t the greatest right now. And I really enjoyed watching Jackson today, especially seeing him happy to play with other kids, and Yuuri said he was willing--” 

“Yuri, I’m not a charity case,” Otabek interrupted. His thoughts about being inadequate resurfacing and he tried not to sound angry. 

“Beka, I know that.” Yuri picked at a loose string in the hem of his shirt. It was different to see Yuri nervous. “You don’t need to be helped, but I  _ want _ to help you.  _ We _ want to. That’s what friends are for, right?” 

Otabek nodded slowly, focusing on his breathing. Yuri continued, “So Yuuri and I talked and we want Jackson to go to Yuuri’s daycare. It would be so good for him, Beka, instead of having him holed up in a house with some teenage girl. Just consider this your late birthday present. Jackson deserves this. You deserve this. Beka? Please don’t cry.” Yuri’s tone changed from motivational and determined and commandeering to genuine concern in a second. Otabek hadn’t realized he was crying until Yuri said so.

He wiped his cheeks quickly, and sure enough, his fingertips were wet. He didn’t know what brought his next move on, but Otabek pulled Yuri into a hug. It was awkward since they were both sitting, but Yuri returned it nonetheless.

“Thank you, Yuratchka, thank you. Best birthday gift ever.” They both laughed quietly at the inside joke-- Otabek never mentioned his birthday as it came and went last month, and Yuri only found out when it was through Jackson--and Otabek pulled away from the hug, albeit a little reluctantly. 

“Really, Yuri, thank you.” Yuri nodded, his eyes searching Otabek’s face. Otabek wiped his eyes again and took a deep breath. “I’ve… never had anyone care about me like you and your family have. It means a lot to me and Jackson. I feel like… I feel like I’ve failed him as a father in so many ways.” Saying it out loud was harder than Otabek imagined and it  _ hurt _ . These were his deepest feelings that he kept repressed for Jackson’s sake. He kept them repressed so he wouldn’t be how he was now-- a anxiety-ridden, crying mess of an Alpha. “He… he deserves better.”

Suddenly, long arms were around him again and Yuri said into his ear, “Don’t ever say that again, Otabek Altin. You’re a damn good dad and Jackson loves you.” Otabek felt what was left of his emotional resolve crumble, and he silently cried into Yuri’s shoulder. His body shook. 

“I can barely give him what he needs. I barely get to spend time with him. I couldn’t even keep his mother in his life,” Otabek said through gritted teeth, his voice angry. He was angry with himself. “He doesn’t even have grandparents. He’s so goddamn smart and I feel like he’s losing out on so many things because of me.” 

“Beka…” Yuri murmured, rubbing his back lightly. “That’s why we’re here to help you. We want to help you give Jackson everything he needs. Please let us. Trust me.” His tone was so soft, Otabek was surprised he was still talking to Yuri. It was nice, though, and Otabek wanted to hear more of it. It soothed him like nothing ever had before.

“I do, Yuri. I do.” 

Yuri nodded and kept holding him. “You’re amazing, Otabek. You work your ass off like nobody I’ve ever met. I’m proud of you for being so strong all this time, even when you’re struggling.” 

Otabek let out a breath and leaned further into Yuri’s touch, his crying stopped completely. It felt good to let it out. “Thank you, Yura.” He barely stopped himself from confessing to the man right then. 

“Tomorrow, bring Jackson here, okay? I don’t have class so I’m taking him to practice again. Everybody loved him today… and he makes me look good,” Yuri smirked. Otabek finally pulled away from Yuri, slowly, even though that was the last thing he wanted to do. He laughed softly. 

“Fine. He’ll probably want to be just like you.”

“Good, I’m fucking awesome.” Otabek laughed again.

“A little vain, aren’t we, Plisetsky?” 

Then, the front door opened, and the three boys plus Makkachin all came back into the living room. Yuuri was carrying a sleepy Jackson.

“I guess that’s my cue to leave,” Otabek said quietly, not wanting to leave as he stood from the couch. Yuri stood with him. 

“Beka, have a good night.” Otabek smiled fondly at Yuri, the man who had managed to capture his heart in mere months.

“You too, Yuratchka.” 

Otabek took Jackson home and, that night, Otabek’s dreams were filled with Yuri.

 

* * *

 

A week and a half later, Otabek and Jackson and Yuri fell into a comfortable routine. Yuri didn’t think it was possible to get more comfortable around Otabek, but it happened. Otabek had, feeling a little guilty, informed Jackson’s babysitter that he was taking a better offer, and now, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Jackson attended  _ Life & Love Daycare _ . On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, Jackson stayed with Yuri. 

Yuri was surprised at how much he actually liked it. He liked seeing Otabek almost every morning, he liked drinking coffee together, but most importantly, he realized, he liked seeing Otabek off to work. It made him feel warm all over, like they were actually dating or something. He tried not to dwell on it too much, but he did allow himself the pleasure of relishing the moment. 

Today, though, was Yuuri’s birthday. Luckily, it fell on a Saturday, and Otabek agreed to come over after work for a little get-together with Yuuri’s closest friends. Viktor, of course, had invited more people than was necessary, though, but Yuuri expected it. Nonetheless, it would be a great time. 

Being that it was Saturday, Yuri had Jackson and took him to his all-day dance practice. As always at his practices, Jackson seemed to have a great time, and he even joined in a few times throughout. All of the squad adored him and were quickly attached to the tot in the short time they knew him. Yuri understood, though, being that his crush on the boy’s father was massive in the short months they knew each other. Maybe it was just an Altin gene, to be so lovable….

Jackson seemed pleased when they got lunch during Yuri’s 45 minute break, and then resumed practice until three in the afternoon. And, like clockwork, Jackson immediately became sleepy when practice ended and fell asleep during the ride home. Yuri would never tire of Jackson’s cuteness. 

When they actually arrived home, Yuri was thankful that Jackson’s nap gave him time to shower and get ready for Yuuri’s celebration. Carrying Jackson inside reminded the blonde of just last week, the first time he had the privilege of babysitting Jackson. Again, Yuri took care not to wake the sleeping boy as he carried him upstairs, to the newly furnished and decorated nursery. It wasn’t completely finished, but it was painted a soft, pastel green, and had a crib against one wall, and a changing station on the wall adjacent. Where all the other bedroom floors were hardwood, the nursery had been carpeted. Needless to say, Yuuri and Viktor were ready for their child to arrive. 

Yuri carefully laid Jackson in the crib, smiling down at the peaceful form. He left quietly, keeping the door ajar, to go shower and change in preparation of the house party. Since Otabek would be there, Yuri was hyper-aware of his appearance. He wanted to look good. He dressed in high-waisted, cuffed, light blue jeans and a black turtleneck. He left his hair down, letting it fall just at his neck. He tugged his favorite beanie on; it was black and had built-in cat ears on it and a simple cat face in the front. He looked cute as fuck, he had to admit to himself. 

He snapped a mirror selfie, sporting a smirk, and sent it to Otabek. He didn’t bother with a caption as he sat on the edge of his bed, his own door open so he could listen for Jackson when he woke up. Guests were supposed to start arrive around 5:30, but Otabek would be coming later due to work, of course. Yuri was grateful that he was coming at all. 

Yuri smiled when his phone lit back up with a text from Beka. His heart fluttered and he really hated the fact that he didn’t know what to do with himself. Feeling  _ feelings _ anything past platonic or sexual or small crushes was so new to him, and honestly, it scared him. 

 

**Beka**

> _ Adorable as always.  _

Yuri blushed while he read the text over and over. Did Otabek really think he was cute? Always?

>> _ Oh, I’ll be over earlier, as well. Boss said it’s for working on Thanksgiving. _

And just like that, Otabek steered the conversation away from anything that could confuse Yuri, but that action just made Yuri  _ more _ confused. Was Otabek just being nice? Yuri wasn’t sure what to say, so he just sent a string of emojis and locked his phone, placing it face down on his lap. He was excited to see Beka, as usual. 

God, he was practically head over heels for this man. Sure, he had a few crushes, but they were a long time ago, and he had hookups, but he had never connected with or felt strongly for anybody like he did for Otabek. He always felt happy when they spoke or texted. Was it just infatuation? Yuri was so confused. 

Otabek would be here soon, though, and Yuri needed to calm himself down before he made a fool of himself. Yuri went to check on Jackson, who was still sound asleep, and then downstairs to help Viktor cook/prepare. They were making an array of small dishes for Yuuri’s party--mostly finger foods that everyone could help themselves to. Just then, Yuuri entered the kitchen with a big smile.  _ Oh, yeah _ , Yuri remembered. They had their first “baby appointment” at Yuuri’s ten week mark as Yuri put it that morning before he and Jackson left for dance practice. 

“Welcome back,” Yuri said casually as he sliced cheese and plated it. “How’d your baby appointment go?” 

“I was waiting to tell him,” Viktor said to Yuuri and suddenly the younger man felt a little left out. “I wanted you to be here.” 

The Japanese man hummed before saying, “So, you’re gonna become an uncle twice in a day.” Yuuri grinned as he watched Yuri realize what the implication was. He whipped his head around so fast, Viktor was concerned he might get whiplash.

“Twins?!” Yuri barked, but it was in disbelief and happiness rather than anger. Yuuri nodded and Viktor was starting to cry again. 

“Sorry,” Viktor sniffled, wiping his eyes. “I know I said I wouldn’t cry again.” The mated couple embraced each other and Yuri went back to plating the cheese. “It beats every birthday present I’ve ever gotten you….” Viktor said with a soft laugh, his voice holding nothing but love for his growing family.

“Well, congrats,” the blond mumbled, internally bubbling with giddiness at the thought. He felt so different lately; he was sure that normally he wouldn’t feel so  _ much _ about his brother having kids. Recently, he avoided seeing the couple being all lovey-dovey. He didn’t even make snide comments much--Yuri figured the two noticed but chose not to say anything, which he was grateful for. He didn’t  _ want _ to feel jealous, because he still had a long ways to go before he even  _ thought _ about starting his own family. 

Yuri was eternally grateful when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” Yuri said immediately, leaving Viktor and Yuuri to focus on the food. When he opened the door, Yuri was pleasantly surprised to see Beka. 

“Beka, you’re really early,” Yuri laughed, but he really needed to distract himself from the fact that Otabek’s hair was flat--he had never seen his undercut in any other style than mussed up or gelled up. It was so fucking cute. He was wearing jeans and a sweater and Yuri’s mind brought back Mila’s words: daddy material. He blushed and moved side to let Beka in.

“I told you I’d be early,” Otabek said with a teasing lilt in his deep voice. Yuri noticed he was holding a small gift in his hand. Otabek must have noticed he was looking because he continued talking with, “It’s Yuuri’s birthday gift.”

“Beka, you know you didn’t have to.”

“I know, I wanted to. I made it myself. Is Jackson napping?”

“Yeah, it’s only been like an hour and a half, though. Wanna go see him?”

Otabek nodded and the two went upstairs. When they got to the door of the nursery (now needing another crib, with the expectation of twins), Yuri watched from the doorway as Otabek approached the crib, smiling down at his son. Yuri’s heart fluttered at the sight and he wanted to capture this moment in his mind forever. 

Soon, though, Otabek drew away and turned to Yuri, his deep brown eyes practically boring into Yuri’s soul. It made his breath hitch. Fuck, those eyes appeared in every dream, every fantasy, and Yuri couldn’t get enough. Otabek smiled that smile that was reserved for him, and Yuri swore his soul exited his body for a hot minute. Really, how was anyone allowed to be so attractive? 

Yuri avoided eye contact so he wouldn’t get closer than he was to getting hard. He pushed himself away from the doorframe. “Let’s go back and help set up, yeah?”

Otabek nodded, something like disappointment gracing his features for a moment before his expression was back to indifference. Yuri knew better though, and saw the way he was relaxed. He seemed content. They returned downstairs where more guests (Yuri grudgingly thought “friends”) arrived. Namely, Phichit and Chris, a Swiss, blond Alpha, Viktor’s best friend, as well as coworker. He also happened to be the most observant friend, outdoing even Phichit. Of course, Chris was the first to notice when Yuri and Otabek came downstairs and took a particular interest in Otabek. 

“Yurio!” Chris called, and all eyes were now on him and Otabek behind him. Yuri watched as they were approached by the man, glass of champagne in hand. “Who’s your friend?” Yuri got the sudden urge to punch the smirk off his face. He hadn’t even been social for a whole minute and he already was drained. 

Before Yuri could introduce Otabek, the Alpha did it himself, taking a step so he was standing even with Yuri. “I’m Otabek,” he said and his face was hard. He stuck out a hand and Chris shook it. 

“Nice to meet you, Otabek. I’m Christophe, but please, call me Chris.” Yuri watched as they shook hands (aggressively? Yuri couldn’t tell) for longer than necessary before they finally stopped.

“So this is Otabek!” Phichit chimed from where he stood next to Yuuri. Otabek turned his attention to the Thai boy, who was grinning devilishly. He walked up to Otabek and shook his hand next, much more casually and less threatening than Chris had. “I’m Phichit! I work with Yuuri and I’m his best friend, and your son is a doll” That seemed to bright Otabek’s demeanor--though, Yuri could only tell from all the time they spent in each others’ presence. He was sure no one else could see a difference. The thought that  _ only he _ knew Otabek’s body language excited him and made him proud. 

“Nice to meet you,” Otabek said. Yuri grabbed his wrist abruptly. 

“Let’s go get drinks,” he loudly said, almost dragging Otabek to the kitchen. 

They both were clearly relieved to be alone. “God, I forgot how much I hate socializing with people I know when I’m sober,” he said with a sigh and earned a chuckle from Otabek that made his stomach flip.

“Yeah, I feel that.” Otabek helped himself to a small glass of champagne. He raised an eyebrow at Yuri who nodded, and the Alpha proceeded to pour another glass. Yuri took it gratefully from him and tried not to focus on the way their fingers brushed in the exchange.

“Thanks,” Yuri mumbled as he practically chugged it. 

“Thirsty?”

“Alcohol makes me nicer, asshole.”

“Doesn’t sound like it so far.” They laughed together.

“Eventually. So, there are still a few more people coming, but I think you’ll actually like them. They don’t like to instigate like everybody else,” Yuri explained as he poured himself another glass.

“Well, that’s good. Chris’s attitude and scent was giving me a headache. Is he always like that?”

“Mm, yeah, he’s mated with another Alpha, though. I don’t know about his scent. But he’s always confident and trying to seduce every attractive person he comes in contact with,” Yuri explained, not realizing what he was implying as he spoke.

“Are you saying I’m attractive?” Otabek asked with a smirk as he took a sip of his drink. Yuri choked on the champagne he was drinking.

“Yes. Wait, no! Fuck,” Yuri spluttered, face turning beet red. Otabek only laughed and smiled at Yuri.

“He must have flirted with you at some point then,” Otabek said smoothly and Yuri could feel his death impending upon him before two new heads appeared in the kitchen before Yuri could think of a comeback. Their topic of discussion was forced to be dropped when introductions began again. Yuri didn’t know if he should be grateful or upset.

 

 

The night went on rather quickly once everybody arrived. Yuri was right about Otabek liking the pair who had initially interrupted them in the kitchen--Guang Hong and his mate, Leo. Jackson woke up at one point, not too late in the night, but not immediately, either. He got to meet everybody, and, as usual, everybody loved him. Everybody mingled, ate food, had cake, and Yuuri opened gifts. Most were baby-related, which caused Yuuri to announce he was having twins. (Viktor cried, again.)

The news surprised everyone, including Otabek, but they all congratulated the couple. The night progressed, and so did Yuri’s tipsy-ness. 

He almost cried at Otabek’s gift for Yuuri-- it was a CD with music that Otabek had produced himself, a playlist for Yuuri during his pregnancy. Otabek told him shyly that playing music later in the pregnancy was good for development. Yuri, almost drunk, wondered if that’s how Jackson became so smart. He giggled at the idea.

Yuri remembered a conversation they had when Otabek told him he used to produce regularly in college and even DJ’d at gigs more often than not, but had ultimately chosen to become a mechanic for his career. He remembered Otabek saying that working on cars made him happy and relaxed, but music was where his real passion was. Yuri remembered telling Otabek he should do what made him the happiest, to which Otabek had said something about  _ money _ and _ stability _ and _ Jackson _ . Yuri wanted Otabek to be happy, though.

Seeing him explain himself to the older Omega made Yuri giggle more as Otabek blushed.  _ He’s so goddamn cute, _ Yuri thought, making dreamy eyes from where he sat at the dining room table. He didn’t notice how Otabek noticed him unabashedly staring.

After presents, Yuri resorted to playing with Jackson when he wasn’t being forced to talk to anyone. Jackson kept calling him silly, but they had a good time, Yuri laying on his stomach on the floor of the living room with Jackson. They played cars for a little bit before Otabek entered the room.

“Yuri, I think we’re gonna head out,” Otabek said softly. 

Yuri sat up, frowning. Jackson frowned, too. “I’m playing with Yuri, dadda.” 

“You’ll get to see him tomorrow, bub. It’s already past bedtime.” Yuri unlocked his phone on the coffee table and saw that it was almost 9:30 at night. Yuri wondered how so much time slipped by so quickly. 

“Okay,” Jackson said, setting the blue truck in his hand down on the carpet. He stood from his knees and hugged Yuri. “Bye-bye, Yuri!” he said happily before letting go and walking over to his dad.

Yuri got up and grinned at the small family. He walked them to the door and waved goodbye, not noticing how Otabek’s eyes lingered at his lips, his face, and how they had been doing that the whole night. Yuri did notice, however, how much he hated saying goodnight to Otabek and Jackson, and how it made his chest tighter and his heart heavier when he shut the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok so that was a wild ride! quick note:
> 
> Jackson is very loosely based on my younger brother. he started speaking full sentences at 10 months old. crazy right? and Jackson's b-day is June 7th, my bro's b-day. loosely based... he couldnt walk until he was like 18 months though lolol. 
> 
> ok i think that's it for now! please please leave a comment i love hearing what you guys think! i feel super motivated to write recently and feedback really contributes. i hope you liked this chapter, and the next one is almost as long and even more plot filled! ;-)


	4. you're just a daydream away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas and Otabek and Yuri share the special day together. Then, New Years turns sour!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you're all ready for this disaster  
> i'm legit posting this at 1:30 am lmao who am i
> 
> thanks to my best friend tavia for being my beta from chap 1! 
> 
> chapter title: A Daydream Away by All Time Low

Snow covered rooftops and the ground, shimmering beautifully in the cold sunlight. Christmas lights and various lawn and home decorations were visible at every turn, and the lights of Christmas trees were easy to spot through almost every window. It was nearing one in the afternoon on Christmas Eve as Otabek left his apartment after showering and gathering the few presents he had after returning from work.

Otabek wasn’t too upset about working on Christmas Eve--it wasn’t like he celebrated it fully like everyone else he knew; he celebrated it mostly for the sake of Jackson. He did, however, like the fact that he would get a couple days off after New Years, which, personally, he enjoyed more. It was more easy-going and less expensive. He wondered if he should feel selfish because of his reasoning. Plus, Yuri had invited him and Jackson over on New Years for their annual party, in which they would be celebrating both the new year and Viktor’s birthday, which fell on Christmas Day. Otabek was actually pretty excited about the party, too. 

Tomorrow, though, Yuri would be coming over to Otabek’s apartment for the first time, allowing Yuuri and Viktor their “alone time” (Yuri made gagging sounds when he told Otabek this), and it made the Alpha nervous. He felt ashamed about how small his home was, especially in comparison to Yuri’s, and it was probably a huge turn-off for any sort of romantic interaction. Otabek tried not to worry too much about it, though. Yuri had been accepting of everything else so far. Why should he stop now? It was just his anxiety getting the best of him.

As he drove to Yuri’s house, there were barely any other cars on the road. It was so peaceful, giving the Alpha some space to think. Otabek looked forward to spending his short holiday with Yuri. He could at least pretend they were dating with all the casual touches they had grown accustomed to. He found out Yuri was single,  _ finally, after months of wondering _ , and Otabek was really itching to ask him out on a date, but he was just so scared of messing their friendship up. What if Yuri didn’t feel the same? Yuri was still young, and he probably didn’t want a mate with a kid already. Every flirting attempt was met with joking or a change of subject. Otabek was just so unsure of what to do, even though Yuri was taking up whatever space was in his head and his dreams. It was so different from anything Otabek had ever experienced, and the man had his fair share of dates and exes.

Even Jackson’s mother, a Beta as well, hadn’t affected him like this. He loved her at the time, sure, but looking back, he wasn’t  _ in _ love with her. With Yuri… well, Otabek was 100% sure of how he felt. 

Otabek focused his mind on his excitement to be sharing Christmas with his best friend as he pulled into the driveway. He got out with his small crate of presents, almost all of them handmade. His gifts for Jackson were at home, where they would be opened tomorrow, along with his big “Santa” gift. 

Shivering in the cold wind even in his leather jacket and dark blue scarf wrapped around his neck, Otabek quickly made his way up to the front door and knocked. He was greeted by Yuri seconds later, Jackson on his shoulders.  _ Adorable. _ Otabek stepped inside, resisting the urge to just kiss Yuri right then and there. Jackson wiggled and Yuri easily set the boy down, allowing him to hug Otabek. Otabek happily returned it. He saw that he was dressed in an unfamiliar pair of pajamas.

“Your pajamas are cute, bub. Who got them for you?” Otabek asked with a smile, looking knowingly at Yuri, who was also wearing pajamas. The blond smiled back and winked and Otabek averted his gaze immediately, blaming his blush on the bite of the cold. 

“Frosty the Snowman did! He came this morning. Dadda, how did he know I like animals?!” Jackson asked excitedly. Otabek smiled and observed the pajamas. They were light blue with various animals all over them. 

“Santa’s elves probably told him,” Otabek said, picking his son up. He looked to Yuri and examined his pajamas as well. They were red with pairs of cats all over them. Cute, cute, cute. His two favorite people were so cute. “What did you guys do this morning?” he asked. 

“Yuri made us hot chocolate and we watched The Nightmare Before Christmas! It was so good! And then we read some books about Christmas, Yuri showed me some more piano, and we just had lunch,” Jackson said, his eyes round and happy. He used his hands a lot when he talked.

“It sounds like a lot of fun, love.” 

“It was!” Jackson giggled and Otabek and Yuri made their way to the living room, where they all sat on the couch. There was a Christmas tree set up in the corner of their living room, next to the couch, presents overflowing underneath it. It made Otabek nostalgic, a little sad, but mostly happy. He knew Yuri, Viktor, and Yuuri had all gone a little overboard, perhaps, with spoiling Jackson. Otabek got tired just thinking about where everything would go in the small apartment. 

Playing on the T.V. was another Christmas movie but Otabek was too busy watching Yuri’s face as he interacted with Jackson to even be bothered by the movie. Yuri was so gorgeous, his long-ish hair tucked behind his ears, a soft smile on his face and his eyes gentle as he looked at his son. His skin was pale, porcelain, and Otabek’s eyes drifted to the column of Yuri’s neck--if he was Omega, Otabek thought, a mark would be placed just above the junction of neck and shoulder. But, as it was, Betas couldn’t be  _ fully _ bonded like Omegas and Alphas could. However, Otabek would take Yuri as he was, if only he had a chance. No matter what. He was perfect being just Yuri, his faux-anger, special smiles just for Otabek, and all.

Otabek was just waiting for the right time to tell Yuri how he really felt.

  
  


Christmas Eve was a blast, to say the least. That evening, Otabek, Yuri, and Jackson were all in the kitchen making chocolate chip cookies to take home and leave for Santa that night. Otabek mostly took control of helping Jackson, who was over the moon about  _ cookies _ , but Yuri was the one who was the baker. Otabek followed Yuri’s instructions and helped Jackson follow along, smiling the whole time. Flour ended up everywhere, somehow, making the two adults laugh together.

“Oh, Yura, you’ve got a little bit--” Otabek gestured to his own face, trying to show Yuri where flour had ended up on the corner of his mouth, a little on his forehead. Yuri rubbed at his face, and somehow still missed.

“Ah, here,” Otabek murmured, using the pad of his thumb to swipe the flour off of Yuri’s skin carefully. Yuri was very still under his touch and his green eyes were boring into his own chocolate ones. Just like the first time they met, all Otabek could think was how captivating they were. Gently taking his hand away, Otabek flashed a smile, and Yuri’s cheeks heated up. 

Their oddly-intimate moment was interrupted when Jackson asked if he could eat a little bit of the cookie dough, and Yuri and Otabek shared a look. Otabek nodded and gave Jackson a teeny bit, and Yuri took some for himself, laughing when Otabek scolded him for setting a bad example.

Otabek wanted this for the rest of his life. 

  
  


Later into the evening, the small family, including Potya and Makkachin, had all gathered in the living room, and they exchanged presents. Otabek felt like he could cry the whole time, with the love he and Jackson were shown. Yuuri and Viktor really outdid themselves with gifts, while Otabek had only been able to give small, handmade presents. 

Everyone was ecstatic about what they had gotten, though, so Otabek couldn’t feel too bad, and Jackson was very happy with his gifts, which made Viktor and Yuuri elated. That’s what mattered, he thought. Viktor and Yuuri had gotten Otabek new pillows (they were  _ not _ cheap, that was for sure, but  _ damn, _ they were comfortable) and Otabek had knitted matching yellow onesies for the twins, including little matching hats. Yuuri and Viktor absolutely loved them, as they crooned over how adorable they were, and how they would be perfectly warm for fall and winter. It wasn’t much, but Otabek was proud of how they turned out (especially after spending hours on them). Yuri was very surprised to find that Otabek could knit, but Otabek just laughed it off.

He had told Yuri he was waiting for tomorrow, Christmas Day, to give him his gift, in the privacy of his small apartment. His palms got sweaty thinking about giving it to him; he wanted Yuri to like it. Yuri had been okay with that, and agreed he’d save his gift for Otabek for tomorrow, as well. Otabek couldn’t help but feel both anxious and excited at the prospect of how intimate tomorrow would be. 

Otabek had a hard time falling asleep that night, and it  _ wasn’t  _ because Santa was coming to town.

  
  


As expected, Jackson woke up much earlier than usual, excited about the fact that it was Christmas. Otabek easily woke up with him despite his rough sleep, and the fact that he had to get up in the middle of the night, but it was worth it to spend time with Jackson. Otabek realized how much of their time together was spent with Yuri. Not that he was complaining--Yuri made Jackson a better person, introducing him to dance, and even piano, which Jackson had come to enjoy more so than dance, which surprised both of them. Plus, with the boy’s brightness, he took to it well. It was wonderful, seeing Jackson grow as a person, making friends at daycare, and learning faster than his peers, it seemed. At his most recent check-up with Viktor, Otabek’s suspicions were confirmed when Viktor said Jackson was gifted. That had made Otabek extremely proud. 

Now, after changing Jackson’s wet pull-up (the toddler still had night accidents, but was doing well during the day), the two went to the kitchen to have breakfast. There, half the cookies were gone and the glass of milk was half-full. Jackson gasped when he saw. “Dadda! Santa came!” 

Otabek grinned, “He did. Why don’t you go check under the tree?” he suggested as he opened the fridge to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast. 

Jackson eagerly followed his directions, running to the corner of the living room where their small tree stood. It wasn’t much, but it still held all the most important ornaments, like the little book about Jackson’s first Christmas, and the ornament his sister sent him from Kazakhstan last year. Around the tree were small gifts, all for Jackson, and a bigger one that was labeled from Santa. Otabek could hear how Jackson squealed in delight. “Dadda! Can we open presents?!”

“We have to wait for Yuri to get here, bub. Plus, we still have to eat breakfast,” Otabek said gently, and Jackson looked a little sad but he nodded. Jackson sat at the kitchen table then, still dressed in the new pajamas from the day before, and hummed as he waited. Together, they ate breakfast, Jackson eagerly. It was nearing 7 o’clock, so Yuri would be arriving any minute. 

Jackson was whining about how slow Yuri was when there was a knock on the door. It made Jackson immediately perk up as he slid off his chair and rushed to the door, getting on his tiptoes to try and open it. Unfortunately, he was still too short so Otabek had to open it for him. Yuri stood in front of the door, smiling softly.

Yuri’s hair was in two French braids and he was bundled up in a scarf and his pajamas. He looked adorable, his nose and cheeks flushed from the cold. In his arms was a bag of  _ more presents.  _ Jesus. 

Otabek was sporting his own pajamas: no shirt and thick sweatpants. Their apartment was substantially warm, so he had forgone the shirt and when Yuri blatantly stared, he was pretty satisfied with his choice. He stepped aside, smiling at Yuri as his best friend walked through. 

“Welcome. Sorry, it’s really small….”

“So?” Yuri mumbled. Otabek just shrugged. 

“Jackson’s really excited to open presents. Bub, why don’t you show Yuri around first?”

Jackson whined, “Fine.” The toddler grabbed Yuri’s hand and pulled him around the apartment, and it didn’t take long. Their kitchen and living room were open, and in the space connecting them, there was a short hallway leading to the bedroom and bathroom. It took all of five minutes for them to return to the living room. There really wasn’t much to see, but Otabek guaranteed that Jackson had just pulled Yuri around, naming the rooms, and nothing more.

Yuri and Jackson sat on the couch while Otabek sat on the floor next to the tree. He handed Jackson each present and was so happy when Jackson gasped or made a sound of pure joy. It made Otabek’s heart swell. 

Last to be handed out was the big Santa gift. Otabek was so excited to give it to Jackson, who had to come down on the floor to open it. Otabek had made sure to buy this gift before all the other small ones because he wanted to be sure Jackson would have it. Jackson peeled away the wrapping paper and jumped for joy when he saw what it was. It was a new tricycle, very similarly styled to Otabek’s own motorcycle in the parking lot downstairs. It was black and was styled after a Harley-Davidson and Jackson  _ loved  _ it. Otabek kissed Jackson’s forehead. “Merry Christmas.”

Jackson gave him a big hug. “Merry Christmas!” He gave Yuri a hug, too. Yuri had been pretty reserved but was always there, helping Jackson open a present or throwing away the wrapping paper. It was so domestic and Otabek was absolutely living for it. 

 

The morning passed with an air of love that Otabek didn’t want to end. He was grateful that Jackson wanted to play with his new toys, specifically the puzzles he had received, and Yuri and Otabek sat at the kitchen table, their gifts for each other in hand. 

“You first,” Yuri said bluntly, his cheeks a little flushed as he handed Otabek a small gift bag. Otabek smiled as he took it and removed the tissue paper, grinning when he saw what was in it. “Um, I know it’s not much, and it’s kind of silly, but I hope you like them….” 

“Yura, these are wonderful. They remind me of  _ you.” _ The words came before he could think about them and he blushed and removed the two patches that would be going on his leather jacket. One patch was a bear and the other a tiger. They were cute, and Otabek was glad he could finally add something to his blank leather jacket. Otabek set them down and reached for Yuri’s hand, squeezing it gently. “Thank you.”

Casual affection wasn’t anything new, but with each touch, it made Otabek feel so much more. Yuri just nodded and smiled. Otabek retracted his hand and handed over his own gift bag to the blond. He was nervous about what Yuri would think of the small gifts he had put together for him.

Otabek’s heart sped up as Yuri took the tissue paper out and pulled out the first gift. It was a folding picture frame, with three slots for pictures. On the very left, there was the first selfie Yuri made them take of the two of them, Yuri grinning and Otabek offering a small upturn of his lips--it was the smile he gave tentatively in the beginning of their friendship. On the left was the picture of Yuri and Jackson napping together that first day Otabek was desperate for a babysitter. That moment still made Otabek’s heart feel like it was being squeezed. Lastly, in the center was a picture of the three of them together on a Sunday, Otabek holding Jackson up in between he and Yuri. Yuuri and Viktor had joined the three on a day out to the park, and Viktor had forced Otabek and Yuri and Jackson to have their picture taken. Otabek was secretly grateful for that. The picture really convinced him that they could be the perfect family, if only Otabek was brave enough to tell Yuri how he felt. He was still waiting for the perfect moment.

Otabek watched Yuri’s face as he ran his eyes over it. Otabek saw Yuri’s eyes become glossy with tears. “Beka… I love this. Thank you so much.” Before he knew what was happening, Yuri threw his arms around Otabek, embracing him. Otabek tensed but quickly relaxed and wrapped his arms around Yuri’s middle.  _ God, _ he loved hugging Yuri, especially since it didn’t happen as often as hand holding or even a little cuddling when they sat next to each other. He would take every moment of physical contact he could get.

“There’s another thing in the bag, Yura,” Otabek chuckled into Yuri’s ear. The Russian pulled back and nodded, wiping his eyes quickly and setting the picture frame down carefully. He dug into the bag again and pulled out Otabek’s hand-knitted anklet. It was green, the color of Yuri’s eyes. “Um, it’s an anklet. I thought maybe you might like to wear something non-metal, since you can’t wear jewelry during dance….” Otabek struggled to explain himself since he couldn’t outright say  _ I want you to have a piece that reminds you of me at all times. _ It would practically being like marking Yuri in a very subtle way, and he wanted that more than anything. He didn’t want to come off as creepy, though.

“I love it, Beka. It’s perfect,” Yuri said softly, bringing his foot up on the chair to put it on. “It’s beautiful. I meant to ask last night, but where did you learn to knit? Those onesies looked very professional.” 

Otabek bit his lip. He and Yuri talked about a lot of things, but Yuri had learned quickly to not bring up his family. He assumed now would be the best time to give Yuri an explanation. “My mom taught me. When I was little, she would knit my winter clothes--”

“Beka, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” Yuri said with a genuine voice and serious look, resting his chin on his drawn-up knee.

“I know, Yura. I want to. You deserve to know, I’ve… I’ve avoided talking about it for so long. I think… I think it’ll help me.” Even though it would be hard, Otabek knew it had to be done. He hadn’t talked to  _ anyone _ about what happened, and it had always eaten him up on the inside. He wanted to be honest. 

Yuri just nodded and sat quietly, like he always did when Otabek spoke seriously. Honestly, what did he do to deserve a friend like Yuri?

“I guess I should start from the beginning? I mean, you know I was born and raised in Almaty. You know I came to America to go to a vocational school. My parents-- they were so supportive of that. They wanted me to succeed, and they were paying my tuition. They paid for my apartment rent and bills because I was supposed to only be here for two years. Then, um, I started dating Jackson’s mom-- but that’s a different story. I don’t think… I’m not ready to talk about her yet.”

“You don’t have to, Beka. I’ll listen to whatever you  _ want _ to tell me,” Yuri whispered, his pale hand gently caressing Otabek’s darker hand. 

Otabek offered a watery smile and nodded. “Um, well, we weren’t mated or bonded or anything and then I told my parents when we found out we were, um, expecting. They were  _ furious _ , Yura. I have  _ never _ seen them so angry in my life. Of course, I should have known. In Kazakhstan, it’s like… super taboo to be unmated and have a child. And, well, they found out I’d be raising Jackson by myself. A single Alpha parent is worse than being in a relationship unmated and having a kid. I was so  _ terrified _ ,” Otabek’s voice broke. Luckily, he wasn’t crying. Yet. “They immediately pulled out of paying my tuition and apartment rent and bills-- I didn’t have a job at the time besides the DJing gigs, but those weren’t often. I had to find a job, I went to school, and then I had to take care of Jackson. Fuck, I don’t know how I even made it this far, Yura.

They immediately broke off all contact with me, too. They didn’t even want my older sister talking to me, but she still does. She sent me money occasionally, but she couldn’t very often because our parents would notice. Um, she’s all the family I have left, besides Jackson…”

“You have me, Beka. You have me, and you have Katsudon, and Viktor. You’re family.” Yuri looked so  _ determined _ and, ah, Otabek felt tears running down his cheeks. He was so grateful.

“I know. And I’m so, so lucky to have you all.” Yuri pulled him in for another hug and they stayed like that for a bit, Otabek letting his feelings of hurt and resentment out after having them bottled up for two and half years. 

“Your parents don’t deserve you. You’re so fucking strong. And they don’t deserve Jackson. He’s too good for them.”

They stayed in the kitchen for a while, just hugging each other, before Jackson came in saying he was hungry. Yuri and Otabek laughed together as their bodies drew away from each other, even though Otabek was almost reluctant to do so. His eyes met Yuri’s and Otabek wanted with his whole being to spend the rest of his life with this man.

Needless to say, this Christmas was the warmest he’d experienced.

 

* * *

 

 

New Years Eve was here, and it’s the one holiday Yuri can really get behind. It’s always pretty fun, despite the fact that Viktor invites practically everyone he knows, and there’s always drinking involved, which makes it more fun, and then there’s the dancing, which is the most fun. Really, Yuri is excited at the idea that maybe he and Otabek can dance  _ together. _

Beka has New Years Eve and New Years Day off, and Yuri is almost restless, waiting for Otabek to arrive with Jackson later in the day. Of course, Yuri couldn’t feel too awful, he got to see Otabek and Jackson everyday, it was just weird being without Jackson for so long. Admittedly, he’d grown attached to the boy, and it embarrassed him when he allowed himself to think that he had become a parental figure in the boy’s life. Viktor and Yuuri, who was now looking clearly pregnant, teased him relentlessly about it.

Yuri didn’t mind it in all honesty, but he was tired of waiting for Otabek to make a move on him. All the touches they shared, all the looks they gave each other, Yuri wanted them to mean more. He didn’t know why he was so unsure about being the one to make a move first. Maybe his New Years resolution would be “make a move on Beka”. 

Yuri was dressed in a pair of leggings, sporting the ankle bracelet Beka made him for Christmas, and a tank top with a warm flannel on top of it, opened. He had his hair in two French braids, since Otabek had mentioned they were cute on him. He wore a beanie over his head, keeping the tips of his ears warm. He knew he probably wouldn’t need it when the night began. 

  
  


When Otabek arrived with Jackson, just after Phichit, Yuri couldn’t stop smiling. The Kazakh was wearing his usual leather jacket, but it now had the two patches on the shoulder. He was happy to see that Otabek had put them on quickly. And it still made him look sexy, as always. 

Yuri took both of their outerwear and hung them on the coat rack, smiling when Jackson quickly took his shoes off and raced past him to go to the living room, where alphabet blocks were waiting for him. It left Yuri and Otabek in the entry. Yuri’s most recent idea came to mind and he turned to face his best friend, a blush dusting his cheeks. 

“Beka?”

“Hm?” the older man hummed as he took his shoes off. 

“Do you maybe want to spend the night?” Yuri asked tentatively. He had been thinking about it all day, and since it was a New Years party, it was a given to stay at least until the ball dropped. Yuri was rethinking his life decisions when Beka looked so taken aback.

“Yuri…” 

“I mean-- you don’t have to! I just thought-- it’s going to be late if you plan on staying until midnight, and Jackson will be tired, and you might want to have a few drinks. We have a guest room, you know, and Jackson can easily stay with you or in the nursery--”

“Yura!” Otabek laughed. “Yes, okay, I’ll stay. It’s much better than accidentally waking Jackson up and trying to put him back to sleep.”

“Really? You’ll stay?” Yuri asked, his voice clearly showing his excitement despite trying to tone it down.

“Yes, silly.” Otabek cocked his head, an indication that they should go join the other adults. Yuri was relieved and smiled again, and he just wanted to kiss the fuck out of Otabek. 

The two joined Phichit, Yuuri, and Viktor at the dining room table, snacking on chips and dip and Yuuri was eating fucking  _ pickles dipped in spicy cheese _ . He certainly had some interesting pregnancy cravings. Everyone greeted Otabek warmly, and the man seemed unfazed by Yuuri’s strange eating. That man was a master with controlling his facial expressions around others. (Yuri thought, smugly, that he was the only one besides Jackson that Otabek was truly  _ himself _ around.)

Soon, more and more guests started appearing. Otabek had met most of them before at Yuuri’s birthday celebration, but also met a few of them here and there, when he would come over. Jackson eventually joined the rest of the adults in the dining room, where he seemed happy to meet other new people. Otabek got along best with Leo and Guang Hong due to being the same age, but he was slowly ( _ very _ slowly) warming up to Chris, and funnily, got along well with his husband. Otabek also got along well with Sara and her brother Michele, a nurse at Viktor’s office. Michele, a Beta, had brought along his Alpha mate, Emil, who was a bartender (miraculously, they discovered, he got the night off). Yuri had invited Mila, and she was pretty happy to be included in his small group of friends. 

Yuri may have made a huge mistake introducing Mila to Otabek, much less inviting her in the first place. What was he thinking?  When Mila saw Otabek and Jackson, she immediately  _ knew _ . “So, this must be Otabek!” she said in her goddamn  _ voice.  _ Yuri wanted to kick her out right then and there. He really fucked himself over. 

Otabek nodded and, probably smelling the Alpha on her, stood up straighter. “Nice to meet you. You are…?” he inquired, sticking a hand out.

She took it, grinning. “I’m Mila Babicheva, one of Yuri’s friends. We dance together. It’s nice to  _ finally _ meet you! Jackson is adorable, by the way. Yuri just  _ can’t shut up about you-- _ ”

“Okay! Who wants alcohol!” Yuri yelled, interrupting Mila’s antagonizing. His face was burning but he was counting his lucky stars she hadn’t called him  _ Daddy Otabek _ . Yet. Alcohol might make things worse, actually.

Otabek, to others, looked as stoic as ever, but Yuri could see the smile dancing at the corners of his lips and the way his eyebrows drew upwards ever so slightly. Mila just laughed and walked away to the bar in the corner of the dining room. 

After  _ that mess,  _ Yuri and Otabek mostly hung back to themselves, commenting on others; they watched as Mila introduced herself to everyone, lingering around Sara the most afterwards, though. They seemed to be hitting it off well. If Mila was good at one thing besides dancing, it was flirting. That’s probably what she was doing, Yuri thought. He told Otabek this and he just chuckled. Jackson was roping adults into conversation left and right, and Otabek was enjoying watching the sight of his son getting attention.

The night went on with lots of mingling, and soon enough, it was Jackson’s bedtime. Yuri and Otabek easily put the boy to sleep together, and again, Yuri was incredibly pleased with the domesticity of it all. Now that the toddler was safely asleep in silent room, their alcohol consumption would  _ definitely _ be increasing. 

Yuri was right. Not long after 10 o’clock rolled around, the blond was already well on his way to being completely drunk. Yuuri, Sara, and Chris’s husband Masumi seemed to be the only sober ones in the room, Yuuri for obvious reasons, Sara and Masumi because they were designated drivers. Music played at a reasonable level so nobody’s head pounded and Jackson wouldn’t wake up, but it was loud enough to have everybody happily dancing. Otabek and Yuuri were in the corner of the room while Yuri danced with Mila. Everybody else was dancing around them. 

He had a beer in hand (not that he enjoyed it, he prefered hard liquor, but it was alcohol and would have to do) as he and Mila practically grinded together to an electro-pop song. Yuri was definitely not attracted to Mila and vice versa. But, they had shared a knowing look, and doing what they were was getting them the attention they wanted from their respective romantic/sexual interests. Yuri had his arms above his head, head tipped back and eyes closed as he rubbed his ass against Mila’s crotch and she was giggling, rolling her body against him as well. They’re dancers, they both knew how to and could work their bodies in ways most people couldn’t.

Yuri knew it was working when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and grinned when he saw it was exactly who he wanted. “Beka!” he said in his lilting voice. He barely could control how he sounded in his drunken state. He was painfully obvious and honest and cheerful when he was like this. 

“Dance with me,” Otabek said, eyes darker than usual. He was tipsy, too, but not near as bad as Yuri. 

Yuri nodded immediately with a bubbly, “Okay!” and let himself be pulled gently away from Mila by Otabek. The redheaded girl just laughed knowingly and made her way to Sara after Yuri got dragged away. 

As Yuri was pulled to Otabek’s chest, he wished he was off his scent blockers so he could clearly smell the Alpha. He wanted to know what he smelled like; he wanted to be able to smell the emotions that rolled off of him when they were strong. He giggled as he thought about what Otabek’s scent would be like when he got the courage to stop taking those stupid little pills. 

Yuri sighed in comfort as Otabek placed his hands on Yuri’s hips, and Yuri’s own went around the older man’s shoulders. Smiles were both plastered over their faces. The electro-pop was still on and Yuri’s first instinct was to just continue where he left off with Mila: grinding. His skin tingled where Otabek touched him, but maybe it was just the alcohol. (Even drunk, he doubted that.) 

Otabek’s hand clenched on Yuri’s hips and Yuri smirked as he rolled against him. With a squeeze on his hips, Yuri moved his hips a little harder, the slowly-growing bulge in Otabek’s pants encouraging him further. The Kazakh was watching Yuri with a lustful/drunken glaze in his eyes, but he wasn’t dancing back. Yuri wanted to complain, but Otabek wasn’t stopping him either. Maybe he just wanted a show. Might as well take a chance, right? 

Suddenly, the electronic music came to an end and Yuri  _ did _ complain. “Just when it was getting good!” he whined, stopping his dirty dancing and instead slumping against Otabek’s chest. The Alpha still had his hands on his hips. Yuri loved it. He loved the way Otabek chuckled at his comment and he loved the way he could feel it in his chest. 

A slow song came on, and apparently, that was more Otabek’s forte. He swayed back and forth slowly. “This is good enough, isn’t it?” Otabek said quietly, and if Yuri wasn’t hyper-aware of the man’s every action at the moment, he might not have heard it. 

Yuri was too drunk to catch the double-meaning in that sentence, however. He nodded, resting his head on Otabek’s shoulder, swaying with him. His dancing probably wasn’t any good right now, feeling a little wobbly, but at least Otabek didn’t mention it. They swayed like that for a while and at one point, Yuri pulled his head back to look at Otabek’s gorgeous face. He remembered that first moment he got a look at his face; when Potya had run away, Yuri had chased her six blocks when he ran into Jackson and Otabek.  _ Lucky _ . He had stopped dead in his tracks, and when saw Otabek, he just fucking blurted out the first thing he could think of, which was, “That’s my cat.” He giggled at the memory. 

Otabek gave him a sloppy grin, the one Yuri was blessed to see when Jackson said something particularly funny or when Yuri was playing with Jackson. So  _ fucking _ cute. “What’s so funny, Yura?”

Yuri just shook his head, unable to stop grinning, and raked his eyes over Otabek’s face again and again. He was drinking him in; he couldn’t get enough. He knew his eyes lingered on Otabek’s lips more often than not. Oh, wait, fuck, Otabek was leaning toward him. Yuri’s heart raced and he leaned in, too, knowing  _ exactly _ where this was going and fuck, he was so ready. He wanted this with his entire being.

It was like the world was moving in slow motion. 

Just when Yuri expected their lips to meet in a first, long-awaited kiss, the blond felt Beka tense under his hands and he pulled back. “I need a drink,” Otabek choked out, his entire demeanor changing in an instant that even Yuri couldn’t detect, and ripped himself away from Yuri’s grip, disconnecting his own hands from where they sat on his waist. He walked briskly into the kitchen. Yuri was left standing in the center of the room, cold and confused and drunk. What the fuck just happened?

A surge of emotions ran through Yuri. He  _ knew _ Otabek wanted to kiss him, so  _ that _ was good. But mostly, he felt angry and upset because  _ why did he stop? Was he not good enough for him? _ Yuri felt tears sting his eyes. Yuri was a fun drunk, but if he got into a mood, he would wallow in his emotions until he woke up the next morning. Quickly, Yuri made his way upstairs and to his room, unable to face anybody and especially avoiding Otabek. He wanted to kiss his full lips so badly, and they had been so close, and it would have been his best New Years Kiss to date. He knew it would have been. 

Yuri kept his door shut and locked as he lay on his bed, pretending like he wasn’t crying. He ran the scene over and over in his head more times than he could count, trying to find the moment where things went sour. Maybe Otabek was more drunk than he thought and was only going to kiss him out of drunken lust, and nothing more. Maybe Otabek wanted to keep playing with his feelings. No, that couldn’t be true. What did he want from Yuri? With any comment that could be made out to be flirting, it was always brushed aside like it didn’t happen. But Yuri  _ wanted  _ it to happen. He hated feeling like his whole world depended on this man liking him back or not. Life could be even better if Otabek would just allow him to be something more than his best friend. Maybe nobody wanted him, a stupid Omega hiding behind suppressants and scent-blockers. 

Yuri stayed face down on his bed even as he heard muffled shouts of “Happy New Year!” from downstairs some time later. He fell asleep soon after, eyes wet, and promptly decided that his year didn’t begin too happily.

 

* * *

 

 

Otabek felt instant regret the second he pulled away from Yuri’s body. He was going to kiss him, he really was. He was just a coward, because  _ why would perfection like Yuri want him?  _ Plus, Otabek knew Yuri was drunk off his ass already, he probably didn’t  _ really  _ want to kiss Otabek, and would probably realize his mistake after he sobered up. It would be wrong to have their first kiss when both of them were drunk. 

Otabek wasn’t drunk enough, though. Not for this. He had left Yuri standing alone, and his body felt cold without Yuri next to him. He quickly made his way to the kitchen and found a bottle of vodka and a jug of fruit punch. He poured himself a glass of the two and  _ chugged _ despite how bad it burned his throat. He would regret it in the morning, but now, he just wanted to forget his huge mistake he made by walking away from Yuri. 

When he returned to the dining room minutes later, Otabek couldn’t find Yuri. Yuuri gave him a sympathetic look, probably having witnessed the whole scene, and Otabek just drank until he couldn’t distinguish voices any longer. He felt his body slump with self-directed anger as midnight struck and everyone shouted “Happy New Year!” and Otabek wished more than anything Yuri was here, celebrating with him. 

  
  


The next morning, Otabek somehow managed to wake up early, despite the adamant pounding in the front of his skull. He made his way to the nursery after a quick face-washing and teeth-brushing, only to find Jackson was up and playing with some stuffed animals in the crib. The boy perked up when he saw Otabek enter the room. 

“Morning, dadda!” he chirped and Otabek smiled softly, his head throbbing and his heart heavy. He was still hung up on last night’s events. How was he going to face Yuri?

“Morning, Jack. Ready for breakfast?” he asked softly, his voice rough. The toddler nodded and allowed himself to be picked up and taken downstairs. He hated that he felt relieved at the fact that Yuri wasn’t there yet. Yuuri and Viktor were already sat, though, a glass of water, painkillers, and a large breakfast ready for Otabek. A high chair and a smaller plate of breakfast, as well as a sippy cup of orange juice, were waiting for Jackson. 

“Morning, Otabek, Jackson,” Yuuri said softly, his smile gentle and knowing. Otabek nodded in acknowledgment and Jackson gave a cheery greeting. He sat Jackson in the high chair and Otabek was across from Viktor, who looked just as shitty and hungover as he did. 

Otabek made sure to take the pills first and downed his water before eating. Small talk was light, and Yuuri mostly kept Jackson occupied, since he was probably the only adult without a headache. Soon, like Otabek should have expected, Yuri appeared in the dining room without so much as a word. He sat down, took painkillers, and ate, silently. Otabek kept stealing glances, and his heart sank lower into his stomach each time he didn’t see Yuri looking at him. He fucked up so bad. It was going to eat him alive. 

 

* * *

 

The days turned into weeks, and they didn’t talk; at least, not like they usually did. They would greet each other whenever Otabek brought Jackson by and picked him up, and Otabek didn’t end up hanging out. Otabek had resorted back to his completely unreadable expression— the kind that even Yuri couldn’t read. He had built his walls back up. Yuri moped more often than not, and spending time with Jackson made his and Otabek’s distance more unbearable. But Yuri didn’t know what to say to Otabek because there  _ was nothing _ to be said. It was all on Otabek, and he knew it. It just hurt.

In the second week of their friendship’s first funk, Yuri was confronted one evening by Yuuri as Yuri did his homework in the living room. Otabek had just picked Jackson up and left. Yuri didn’t know how much longer he could take it, but he didn’t want to be the one to cave in. He was stubborn that way.

“Yuri, I think we need to discuss Otabek,” Yuuri said, sitting down on the couch. 

“We don’t  _ need _ to discuss  _ anything, _ actually,” Yuri shot back immediately, scribbling harder at the paper in front of him. 

“You need to talk to him.” 

“You don’t know anything about it, Katsudon,” Yuri snapped, glaring at the Japanese man. 

Still calm, Yuuri said, “Actually, I do, Yuri. I was one of the only sober people there, and 16 weeks pregnant, sitting down at a party. I saw everything that happened. I’m more observant than you think. You guys need to  _ talk _ .” Yuri started to argue, but the elder man cut him off sharply. Yuri held his tongue. “I’m not saying you have to apologize, because that’s on Otabek. I know it is. He knows, too, I’m sure. You just should bring it up first, yeah? I’m tired of seeing you being all upset. You both are clearly in deep for each other.”

Yuri grumbled where he sat and stared at his paper, thinking about Yuuri’s words. Yuuri nodded, like his job was done. “Good, we have this settled. You better do it soon, too.” With those words, Yuuri got back up brusquely, going to leave, but Yuri stopped him.

“Wait-- Katsudon--”

Yuuri turned back around and raised an eyebrow, his look much softer than it was just moments ago. Yuri looked down at his lap, shifting around as he asked, “Do you really think… do you really think Beka feels the same?” Yuri’s voice sounded so small, and it made him uncomfortable to feel vulnerable. He hated talking about his feelings.

Yuuri just smiled. “I know so. Why do you think he pulled you away from Mila? He was jealous. When you two were dancing… the way he looked at you when you were slow dancing, Yuri, reminded me of the moment I knew Viktor was the one. You both are too blinded by fear to notice how much you guys actually love each other.” Yuri sat in silence, turning the words over in his mind. He didn’t notice when Yuuri left the living room. The Omega sat on the living room floor, realizing  _ fuck, I’m actually in love with Beka. _ There was no way to avoid it anymore. Yuri knew Otabek bottled up his feelings (hell, the man hadn’t told anyone about his family for  _ two whole goddamn years _ ) and he knew he was the only one who could coax them out from his hard exterior.

His own resolve crumbling slowly but surely, Yuri had to think of a way that wasn’t totally awkward to get his and Otabek’s relationship back to normal, and hopefully beyond, and he had to do it soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well that was wild wasn't it! 
> 
> next time: more angst, and someone new shows up in our story!
> 
> please let me know what you think! comments fuel me, i thrive


	5. things didn't go the way that you planned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An uninvited quest shows up and ruins both Yuri's and Otabek's plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the rather late posting! i got caught up in some other things here in japan with national culture day and a marathon and host family stuff :-) 
> 
> just so you guys know, the chapter updates may get a little bit longer in between and i'm really sorry if that happens! i'm starting to practice everyday after school now so there's not as much time to write, and i have another multi-chap fic i'm planning and really want to start! i hope you guys will follow me on that adventure as well. 
> 
> chapter warnings: otabek has another panic attack. it starts after the oh-so-lovely guest arrives (you'll know when u read it) and ends with "It took several minutes..."  
> mentions of self-inflicted abortion, manipulation, and death threats/suicide threats (manipulation) 
> 
> yeah this chapter gets kind of dark, sry
> 
> anyway, enjoy the chapter and thanks again to my lovely beta tavia! 
> 
> chapter title: Leave All the Lights On by A Day to Remember

 A whole month passed by uncomfortably, all because Otabek couldn’t get his stupid act together. Nothing more than pleasantries were exchanged anymore and it physically pained Otabek to see Yuri, much less _think_ about him. Something within him was pulling at Otabek—he needed to talk to Yuri; needed to set things right after he screwed them up royally on New Years. He couldn’t lose Yuri—but what if the Beta wouldn’t forgive him? Otabek couldn’t think of what he would do if that happened. At the time, he really thought he was doing Yuri a favor, but it only made the younger man draw further and further away from him. It hurt.

_ Today is the day,  _ Otabek told himself when he woke up that morning. He had a plan: after work, Otabek would pick Jackson up but ask to speak to Yuri. Simple. He would explain why he did what he did-- and it wasn’t because he wasn’t interested, because he  _ very much _ was.

(Life had other plans.)

Otabek dropped Jackson off at Yuri’s, as usual on a Thursday morning, and went to work. There, he finished two projects by lunch when JJ, one of Otabek’s most obnoxious yet highly-skilled coworkers, popped his head into the shop from the lobby.

“Yo, Beks, someone’s here to see you,” JJ said, an eyebrow raised. Otabek frowned slightly, one of his own eyebrows drawing up as well. 

“Is it Yuri?” Otabek asked. He hoped it was.

“If it were Yuri, I’d say ‘Yo, Beks, your lover is here’.” Otabek frowned more, bitter. Noticing this, the other Alpha just laughed. “I’m just playing, dude. But really, it’s some chick. She’s pretty, but not as beautiful as my Isabella--” 

Otabek stopped listening to JJ because just then, his blood ran cold. There was no one else it could be; a woman who knew his name and where he worked. And he highly doubted his mother or sister would have flown to Almaty to see him. Slowly, Otabek set down his tools and followed JJ to the lobby. A lump formed in his throat. He wasn’t prepared mentally or emotionally for this because he  _ knew _ in his gut that something was going to be  _ wrong _ . 

He was right. 

There stood his ex, Jackson’s mother, Hanna. She was as beautiful as ever, but after meeting Yuri, nobody could ever hold a candle to him. Plus, knowing her, her personality subtracted from her exterior. Her long, dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail and her arms were crossed her her chest. Otabek felt like he was suffocating. When Hanna spotted him, she stood up straighter. He was tempted to turn around and tell JJ to tell her to go away, but he was an Alpha and he could do this, no matter how much it hurt and made him angry.

“Beka--” she began.

“Don’t. Don’t call me that,” Otabek practically growled. That nickname only sounded so  _ right _ when it left  _ Yuri’s _ lips.

“Otabek,” she restarted. Just then, JJ slipped out of the room quietly (a surprise really, that man didn’t know when to shut up), the tension between Otabek and the woman obvious. 

“What do you want?” he snapped. Panic was rising in his throat.

“I’ve… been thinking. Hard. And, well, I’ve changed, Bek--Otabek. I want to be a part of Jackson’s life.” 

Good thing no other customers were waiting in the lobby, because Otabek was either going to have a panic attack or start yelling. Jackson was all he had. He couldn’t be taken away from him. He wouldn’t let her. 

“No,” was all Otabek was able to say without going off. Hanna’s eyes hardened and her eyebrows furrowed. 

“What do you mean, ‘no’? Don’t you need my help? I’ve made it, Otabek-- I have a mate, the funds--”

“No,” Otabek said again, much harsher this time. “We are doing perfectly fine  _ without _ you.”

“As his  _ mother _ , I have just as much right to see him as you--”

“That’s not how it worked when you refused to care for him when he was born, and way before that,” Otabek yelled. He was freaking out, he was shaking, and his heart was hammering in his ears. “You’re not seeing him.” 

“I’ll be back, then, Otabek. This isn’t over.” She sent him a glare, turned, and left. 

Otabek couldn’t think straight-- he couldn’t lose Jackson. Without thinking, Otabek rushed to the bathroom, cellphone already in hand. He was becoming paranoid and his vision blurred as he emergency dialed the only person he knew he could, and it was always his Yuri. His breathing was shallow and his chest felt like it was caving in, his heart was in his throat and his ears as it pounded relentlessly, blocking all rational thought.

By the third ring, Otabek was already in the midst of a full on panic attack. Yuri had answered but Otabek couldn’t focus on what he was saying as he clutched the phone to his ear. “--ka? Beka? Are you okay? Listen to my voice, I’m right here,” Yuri’s gentle voice said through the phone. Any trace of awkwardness in their relationship vanished in that moment.

“Yura--” Otabek choked, tears spilling. “Yura-- Jackson--” He knew he wasn’t forming coherent thoughts, but he couldn’t breathe and words were too hard.

“Breathe, Beka. In… and out… Good, let’s keep going.”

It took several minutes for Otabek to finally calm down and breathe normally. When his breath was even, Yuri asked, “Are you okay?” 

“No,” Otabek whispered honestly, his voice hoarse. “Yura-- Hanna-- she came to work-- Jackson…” 

“Beka, shh, you’re going to send yourself into another attack. Slowly, okay? One thing at a time. Who is Hanna?” Yuri’s voice was calm and there was no pressure for Otabek to answer the question. 

“She’s Jackson’s birth mother.” 

Silence. 

When Yuri spoke again, his voice was sharper than Otabek had ever heard it before. “What does she want with Jackson?” His voice showed his care for the toddler, and Otabek appreciated it more than Yuri probably knew. 

“She wants to start ‘being in his life’-- and I kept refusing and then she said she would be back but I don’t think I can handle that, Yura, fuck--”

“Shh, Beka. Where are you right now?”

“I’m still at work,” Otabek sniffled. 

“I’m coming.”

“Yura--”

“We aren’t arguing about this. I’ll see you in twenty minutes, okay? Focus on your breathing.” With that, Yuri hung up without waiting for Otabek’s response. 

Otabek followed Yuri’s advice and got his breathing under control and wiped his face before stepping out of the bathroom minutes later. JJ seemed to understand how shaken Otabek was because he said, “Take it easy, bro,” with a clap on the shoulder.

Otabek tried to take his mind off the heated encounter by doing simple maintenance, and it mostly worked until Yuri arrived. Otabek felt like he might cry again when Yuri simply embraced him. “I can’t let her take him,” he dry sobbed into Yuri’s shoulder. He felt like he wrung himself of all tears in the bathroom.

“She won’t, Beka. We won’t let her. Jackson has a stable routine, it would do more harm than good to allow her to have even partial custody. We’ll get through this, Beka, it’ll be okay.” 

Otabek nodded, let with no choice but to listen to and trust Yuri. Otabek knew he was probably overreacting, but fuck, Jackson was his only biological family left that was close to him. 

“I dropped Jackson off at Yuuri’s before I came. Any chance you can get the rest of the day off?” 

“I shouldn’t-- I need to work--” 

“What kind of performance are you going to give if you feel like shit?” Yuri asked knowingly. Otabek stayed quiet. Yuri had just used his own words against him. “Mhm, that’s what I thought. You can’t say that to me about dance and then be a hypocrite,” Yuri chuckled softly, sticking his tongue out. 

Otabek couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll try, then,” he mumbled, defeated. He was drained of energy from his rather intense attack. Yuri was a lifesaver, even after what Otabek did to their relationship. Maybe he did deserve Jackson getting taken--

“Otabek, I can practically hear you thinking. Stop that, go talk to your boss.”

Otabek nodded and walked back into the shop. Easily he found his boss, an Alpha in his early 40’s, and pulled him aside to talk in private. After a few short words and JJ vouching for him, his boss agreed to giving him the rest of the day off. Otabek thanked him profusely and met Yuri back in the lobby.

“Good to go?” Yuri asked. Otabek nodded. “I’ll meet you at your place, then.” 

Otabek watched as Yuri left before he could even get a word out. Who was he to argue anyway? Otabek grabbed his coat and walked out to his car by the time Yuri was already pulling out of the parking lot. 

 

 

The twenty-five minute drive back to his apartment felt unusually long. Maybe it was the guilt of New Years weighing down on him, or maybe it was the fact that Otabek was close to having another panic attack in the matter of an hour. Either way, it was agonizing and felt shitty overall.

Yuri was already waiting for him at the door, arms crossed over his chest, a distasteful look on his face. It reminded Otabek of the first time they met. He remembered how Yuri slowly let down his angry walls around Otabek (though, it wasn’t really  _ that _ slow since they hit things off so well, his life clicked into place since that day, Otabek thought) and how he did the same around Yuri. He had missed Yuri so much in the month of tension.

“Yuri--” 

“Yura. Please. It’s weird,” Yuri corrected him, his gaze averted down to his feet. Otabek felt relieved. Now, he was grateful Yuri was so straightforward. 

“Yura, I’m-- I’m sorry,” Otabek began.

“We aren’t having this conversation now, Beka. Let’s focus on this Hanna chick, okay?”

Otabek’s mouth was open, but he shut it and nodded, at a loss for words. He led them into the chilly apartment in silence. Yuri made himself at home, taking his shoes off and lying on the couch, taking the blanket draped over the back of the couch and covering himself with it. Otabek couldn’t help but smile a little as he took a seat on the floor in front of the couch. His head was level with Yuri’s. 

“Tell me about Hanna. What happened with her,” Yuri demanded, but his voice was a whisper; soft and not at all biting. He sounded almost scared. The least Otabek could do was be honest, and it was about time they aired out the rest of Otabek’s dirty laundry. He took a deep, shuddering breath and then felt a slender hand on his knee. It was comforting.

“I was nineteen when I started school here, you knew that. Um, I met her at one of my gigs at a club a year later. I had just turned twenty. She was in beauty school, and we hit it off alright. She was eighteen, and it was her first year in college. We started dating, but she became super possessive really fast, which was odd for her being Beta. But like two months in, our condom broke. I thought… I thought it would be fine, since it’s harder for Betas to conceive an Alpha’s child. But the symptoms started showing. I was scared.” Otabek felt Yuri’s hand gently squeeze his knee. 

“She kept saying she was going to terminate the pregnancy. I begged her not to. It was the Alpha in me. She said, ‘Fine, but it’s all yours, and I’m gone,’ and I agreed.” Otabek took another deep breath, every horrid moment coming to the forefront of his mind. “Yura, she threatened to either kill herself or the baby every time I did something  _ wrong. _ I saw who she really was. She manipulated me into staying with her for as long as I did. I still don’t know why she did it if she was just going to leave when Jackson was born. When Jackson was finally born, she didn’t even hold him. But the moment he was in my arms, I fell in love with him. And for some reason, she refused to let me name him on my own. I gave him his middle name, Arman. It’s Kazakh. But, I think it’s because I was going to leave her with him and she wanted to leave a permanent mark on my life. But that… I was okay with it, because I knew I would love him no matter what. And I do. Jackson has never met his mother, and I don’t know if I should feel selfish for thinking it’s better off that way. She doesn’t deserve someone as perfect as him.”

It was quiet for a while, but Otabek felt lighter after getting everything off his chest. Then, Yuri mumbled, “I don’t think it’s selfish to want her to stay away. Jackson has a great support system, a routine, and lots of love. I think it would be unfair to  _ him _ to mess it all up. She wasn’t there for him when he learned how to walk, how to talk, none of it. She sounds super unstable from how she acted, but I can’t say how she is now.” 

“Probably still the same. She said she was mated and she has money. I don’t know if she’s lying, because of how much she lied to me in the time we were together. Not even a whole year.” Otabek tensed up again. “Yura, what if she gets Jackson-- I can’t--”

“Beka, it’ll be okay. Shh,” Yuri soothed, his thumb running little circles into Otabek’s knee, and Otabek relaxed. The sound of his voice somehow brought him back down. “If she wants to see Jackson she’ll have to take it to court, and she definitely will not be winning anything if we can help it. She willingly gave up parentship when he was born.” 

Otabek nodded and leaned his head against the couch cushion. He had to calm down.

“Come here,” Yuri murmured, tapping his shoulder. The blond scooted so his back was flat against the back of the couch and raised the blanket, inviting Otabek. Otabek easily gave in to his own desires and Yuri’s tempting offer and crawled into the space made for him. His butt hung off the edge a little, but he was much more aware of how close he and Yuri were. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

“Thank you,” Otabek whispered and Yuri just hummed.

If Yuri was right, he had to believe things would be okay.

 

Otabek didn’t remember falling asleep, but he woke up to the familiar smell of Yuri’s pirozhki. He was aware that he was on the couch with a blanket draped over him. He heard Jackson’s and Yuri’s singing from the kitchen and he couldn’t help but smile. Checking the clock, he noticed he was out for just over an hour and a half. He sat up slowly and gathered himself before he got up to go to the kitchen. There, Yuri was wearing Otabek’s apron, a little loose on Yuri’s slender frame, even though it was tied, and dark green against his pale skin. He had Jackson on his hip as they sang together and spun in lazy circles while the pirozhki was in the oven. Otabek’s heart may have exploded; the scene before him was so domestic and adorable. Yuri caught sight of him first and he stopped singing and dancing. Otabek wished he wouldn’t. 

“Your dadda is up, Jack,” Yuri said sweetly and Jackson turned his neck. His face lit up with a smile.

“Dadda!” he called, squirming now in Yuri’s hold. Yuri set him down and the boy quickly ran to Otabek, hugging his legs. Otabek picked him up. 

“How was your day, bud?” he asked as he sat down at the kitchen table, shifting Jackson in his lap. Yuri joined them.

“It was a lot of fun! After Yura dropped me off at Uncle Yuuri’s, I finished the puzzle with Uncle Yuuri! The one with the dinosaurs!” The tot went on to explain the scene in the puzzle to both adults. “Then after the puzzle, I played hide and seek with my friends. Then Yura came and picked me up and now we are cooking pirozhki!”

“That’s awesome, Jack,” Otabek grinned when the boy finally finished explaining it. “It sounds like you had a good day.” 

The chatting went on for a while until Yuri went to pull the pirozhki out of the oven. The three boys ate together and it felt like they were a  _ family _ . Otabek could have been fooled that he and Yuri never almost-kissed on New Years, if it weren’t for the lack of sarcastic jabs at each other and casual touches. He would take whatever Yuri would give him, though, not that he even deserved an ounce of it.

Otabek never got around to his plans of the day, the conversation he wanted to have with Yuri, the conversation they needed, and Yuri hadn’t allowed it earlier. He hoped things would play out for the better.

* * *

Yuri normally didn’t fuck with Valentine’s Day. This year, however, he wanted to make an exception, so he did. Viktor and Yuuri (who was already very heavy with the identical twin girls, they discovered just last week) decided to spend the day in, cuddled up in bed so Yuuri’s sore feet could rest. Yuri had made gagging sounds with Viktor told him of their plans, but really, Yuri wanted the same but with Otabek. Too bad  _ that _ wouldn’t happen.

Things were less awkward between them, because was there really a problem if both parties involved ignored it and pretended it never happened? (Yuri mentally applauded himself for that A+ problem-solving, very sarcastically. He should listen to Katsudon more.) Besides that, Otabek had panic attacks nearly every day at work, and the conversation that needed to happen was abandoned, all because stupid fucking  _ Hanna _ refused to leave  _ his Otabek _ alone for the past two weeks.

Oh, there it was.

The recurring thought that Otabek was somehow  _ his _ , when he  _ wasn’t. _ Yuri blamed it on the fact that the Omega in him reacted strongly to being around Jackson so much, or maybe it was his first stage of pre-heat talking. His annual heat was due to start some time next month, so it was plausible. Either way, Yuri refused to believe it was because he and Otabek were “truemates” or whatever bullshit Yuuri had called it and compared his and Otabek’s relationship to Viktor’s and his. Nope, there was no way  _ that _ was possible.

However, Yuri was feeling particularly nice and doting (ugh, gross) for Valentine’s Day, and he  _ really  _ needed to tell Otabek how he felt, and so, he decided he would surprise Otabek at work. Maybe seeing Yuri would help Otabek focus on him and not Hanna. He hoped so. 

Yuri had it all planned out: he would show up to the shop, kiss him  _ for real _ , and pretend to be mad as he “reluctantly” told Otabek how he wanted to be a permanent fixture in his and Jackson’s lives. 

(Life had other plans.) 

Yuri really felt like he was turning into his old man of a brother as he grabbed his small gift for Otabek-- a set of professional photos of Jackson that he had done in secret-- and set off, his heart already pumping quickly.

 

When he arrived at the shop, Yuri was grateful he was good at hiding his nerves. He clutched the gift in his hands and entered the lobby, immediately freezing his tracks upon entering. There was Otabek behind the counter and a woman facing the Alpha, her back to Yuri, and he knew by the look on Otabek’s stony face that it was Hanna. Yuri heard Hanna’s trailing words, “--you being unmated is  _ bad _ for Jackson,” but she stopped abruptly when she realized there was another person in the room. Otabek looked up from their heated “discussion” and his body language revealed how relieved he was to see Yuri.

Well, if Yuri was good at anything, it was faking. And if it meant helping Otabek, his best friend, Yuri would be the best goddamn actor he could be. 

So, without much thought to it and following his instincts (something he never did until he met Otabek-- funny how one person could change him so much), Yuri waltzed up to the counter and grinned. “Bekaaaa,” he sang, “you let her believe you’re unmated?” He laughed softly and pulled Otabek to him over the counter, planting a kiss on his cheek. “I just came to say happy Valentine’s Day to  _ my _ Alpha,” he practically purred and Hanna seemed surprised. Good.

Otabek seemed to understand exactly what Yuri was doing and went along with it (thank god). He stepped out from behind the counter only to put a hand on the small of Yuri’s back to pull the blond closer. “Happy Valentine’s Day, love,” he murmured with that goddamn half-smile and half-lidded eyes that had Yuri’s heart racing and his stomach twisting. Somehow this was better than kissing him and declaring his love.

“You didn’t say you had a  _ mate _ ,” the Beta woman said, her tone abrasive and almost envious.

Otabek and Yuri looked at her but Yuri turned his head to look back at Otabek when he said, “Where were you for the past two years again? We aren’t  _ anything _ anymore, Hanna. You really think I would tell you when I had no reason?” Otabek asked calmly. Yuri internally snickered at the Alpha’s condescending tone.  _ Get ‘em, Beka, _ he thought. 

“Where’s his mark, then?” Hanna asked harshly, obviously upset by being proven wrong. Yuri just laughed and wrapped his arms around Otabek’s neck, pressing himself closer. (Yuri had to remind himself he was acting and he shouldn’t take it too far, no matter how much he wanted to.)

“Hunny, you don’t need a mark if you’re  _ truemates, _ ” Yuri explained, not even sparing a glance her way. He thanked the heavens above that he lived with actual truemates and watched (involuntarily, mostly fake-gagging) how they interacted. Plus, being this close with Otabek did feel good and natural. It wasn’t hard to pretend they were truemates.

Hanna spluttered at his comment. 

“Mm, did you drop Jack off at  _ Life & Love _ ?” Otabek asked, knowing that anyone who was even remotely involved with children knew about the best daycare in town. It was a little pricey, but well worth it. Yuri knew that he was using this fact against Hanna. Otabek brushed a piece of Yuri’s silky hair behind his ear and Yuri almost melted on the spot.

“Mhm! I’m giving him a piano lesson today as well, and we’re going out to a fancy dinner, okay?” Yuri chirped. He was so happy Otabek was going along with this as well as he was.

“I’ll see you in court, Otabek,” Hanna snapped and Yuri turned to her finally. Now wasn’t the time to play nice.

“You will not be in Jackson’s life after handing him over so willingly,  _ Hanna, _ ” Yuri growled. “Jackson already has two parents and a crazy third one will  _ not _ be harassing my Otabek. Go find the best goddamn lawyer you can because I assure you we’ll be winning.” 

Both Hanna and Otabek were quiet at Yuri’s very aggressive speech (Yuri was surprised that Otabek was surprised, did he really change so much that he lost his naturally-aggressive touch?). But Hanna huffed and left without another word. Yuri just sighed in relief and Otabek still seemed stunned. Yuri, albeit reluctantly, pulled himself away from Otabek with a shy smile.

“Sorry, that was probably way out of line-- but I didn’t want her to keep harassing you,” Yuri mumbled, now letting the embarrassment get to him.

“Yura, that was amazing. You’re amazing. Thank you so much,” Otabek gushed. He laughed nervously. “Sorry. I probably went too far, if you think you did… but, um, why are you actually here? I know you didn’t come to be my knight in shining armor.” They both laughed quietly at that, but Yuri was wishing they didn’t have boundaries where things “went too far”. Yuri wanted Otabek wholly. 

“Oh, um. I got a present for you,” Yuri explained, holding up the once-forgotten present. “I just-- I heard her when I came in and I did the first thing I could think of…. I thought it would help you not freak out if we could prove her wrong.” 

“It did feel pretty good,” Otabek admitted. Whether he was talking about proving Hanna wrong or the touches and kisses they had shared in that moment, Yuri wasn’t sure. He didn’t question it though, and instead handed the present over.

“Open it,” he said simply.

Otabek followed his instruction and grinned when he saw all of the pictures of his son.

“Yuri--these are amazing! When did you even do this?”

“A couple weeks ago. I thought you might want professional pictures done instead of just the ones you always take on your phone…. You can frame these and hang them up in your apartment and stuff….” 

“Thank you,” Otabek said softly. Yuri wanted to kiss him for real, like he had planned earlier that morning. “Um, Yuri?” Suddenly, Yuri’s nerves picked up.

“Yeah?”

“I don’t have a lawyer-- I mean, the money.” 

“Don’t worry about it, okay?” Yuri knew exactly who to talk to.

“Yura, I feel awful that I can’t pay you back, especially after everything you’ve done for me and Jackson,” Otabek explained, his eyes showing his sincerity. Though, Yuri knew what he wanted, he just couldn’t have it yet. They still had to really talk about  _ them _ . 

“We’ll discuss it later, yeah? You should get back to work, your lunch break is almost over. I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you will.” 

Yuri nodded and turned to leave. “Yura?” Yuri looked over his shoulder at Otabek, who had a serene smile on his face. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” Yuri flashed a smile and turned again to leave before Otabek could see the flush on his cheeks. 

He would say, despite his change in plans, he had a pretty successful Valentine’s Day.

  
  


The next Sunday rolled around and Yuri was overjoyed when Otabek and Jackson came over. The past month’s Sundays had been empty and boring without them coming over or going out. Yuri missed their company, but he knew they had things to discuss, mostly pertaining to the whole lawyer issue. 

The night of Otabek Valentines Day, Yuri had told Yuuri and Viktor to get in contact with the “emo lawyer” for Otabek. They hadn’t asked any questions and they had done so with ease. 

Now, he, Otabek, Viktor, and Katsudon were all seated at the dining room table, Jackson playing by himself on the floor with some toys and Makkachin. Potya was circling around them, seemingly protective. The adults were discussing Otabek’s predicament and options and Hanna, being sure to keep quiet so Jackson would hear as little as possible.

“Phichit and his boyfriend, Seung Gil are coming over, they should be here soon,” Yuri said to Otabek. The Kazakh gave him a questioning look and Yuri continued, “Seung Gil is a lawyer. He’s kind of emo, and dark, but he’s super good, and he’ll take you on, I bet. He’s always had a soft spot for Phichit and his friends.”

“I’m surprised I’ve never met him,” Otabek admitted.

“Ah,” Yuuri piped in, “yeah, he’s not much of a people-person. He’s damn good at observing and analyzing people, though. He’s very intelligent. You’ll like him.” Yuri noticed that Otabek relaxed. He wanted to reach out and take his hand. He didn’t, and instead opted to watch as Otabek thought. Yuri had a feeling he was about to ask a question the blond wouldn’t really want to answer. 

He was right. 

“Yuri,” he began slowly, “I know you only did it to protect Jackson and help me out, but… we’ll have to keep pretending to be mates? Are you okay with that? At least around Hanna and stuff….”

First of all, Yuri thought, he  _ did  _ do it to protect Jackson and keep him with Otabek, but he had been a bit selfish. Did Otabek really think he wasn’t interested in being more than friends at all? Because that was another reason he made his split-second decision on V-Day. Secondly,  _ fuck yes, _ he was more than okay with it. He absolutely craved Otabek. Out loud, though, he said, “It’s fine.” 

Yuri noticed when Katsudon and Viktor shared a look and he wanted to smack them. Just then, the doorbell rang, stopping him from doing just that.

“I’ll get it,” Katsudon said and shot Viktor a glare when the Alpha opened his mouth to protest. He was becoming increasingly protective of Katsudon with each passing day. (That morning, Viktor had almost growled at Otabek when the Kazakh greeted Yuuri. Everyone was surprised, and it was quite entertaining to watch Viktor apologize profusely.)

When Yuuri returned, Phichit and Seung Gil close behind, they all sat at the table. Yuuri introduced Seung Gil and Otabek and Yuri watched, amused, as they shook hands and nodded to each other in acknowledgment. Yuri didn’t know if he should laugh at the fact that they were so similar in that respect. 

Jackson, obviously intrigued by the new adult he’d never seen before, wandered over from his spot on the floor and tugged at Yuri’s hand. “Yura, Yura,” he whined quietly, “who is that?” 

Yuri smiled and lifted Jackson up off the ground and into his lap. “That’s ‘Chit’s boyfriend, Seung Gil,” he said and Jackson turned in his lap to look at the new person. Normally he wasn’t so shy, but Seung Gil was pretty… unapproachable, for most people. Except Phichit. That man was immune to all personality types. Yuri didn’t know how he did it. “Go say hi, Jackson, he doesn’t bite.” He heard Phichit snort at that, and Yuri didn’t even want to  _ imagine _ . 

Jackson followed Yuri’s instructions and slid off his lap to walk around the table, looking up at the rather intimidating, dark-haired Alpha. “Hi, I’m Jackson. But if you want, you can call me Jack, like Dadda and Yura and ‘Chit do,” he said to Seung-Gil, who let a small smile cross his face. He shifted in his seat so he could face the child better.

“Hi, Jackson. I’m Seung Gil,” the lawyer said, holding his hand out. Jackson shook it with both of his small hands, brightening back up quickly. Yuri found him so adorable, and evidently, everybody else did, too. Katsudon was rubbing his swollen belly fondly and Viktor looked on dreamily, and Otabek was looking very proud. Phichit had a big grin on his face and his chin rested on his hand. Nobody could escape Jackson’s charm. 

Seung Gil went on asking simple questions and seemed to be mildly-surprised (Yuri couldn’t gauge how surprised he actually was with his neutral face) at Jackson’s answers for a two year old. When Jackson said he wanted to play, he did so, and left the adults to go back to talking about Adult Stuff. Seung Gil turned to Otabek.

“He’s very bright,” the lawyer stated plainly. “I heard you raised him alone?” Otabek nodded an affirmative. “Can you tell me the situation?” He had out a notepad and a pen, and obviously, it was time for business.

Otabek looked suddenly very uncomfortable and Yuri knew how much it took Otabek to open up, even to Yuri. It would be much harder to do the same with a stranger, with others listening in on private moments of Otabek’s life. Yuri reached over and placed a hand on Otabek’s knee like he did just a couple weeks ago. The Alpha took a deep breath, clearly easing under Yuri’s gentle touch. “Do you want everyone to leave?” Yuri asked, concerned for his friend, and wanting to comfort him to the best of his ability. 

“No, no, it’s okay… this is for Jackson, and everyone here loves him,” Otabek told Yuri (and himself) quietly, and he began to retell his story all over. Nobody spoke as they listened. Otabek kept his eyes down at his hands in his lap the whole time, but Yuri watched everyone’s faces as they heard the toughest parts. Seung Gil, as professional as always, had a constant look of indifference on his face, while Phichit, Viktor, and Yuuri all winced and looked pretty upset or angry.

When Otabek finished retelling everything, up until Hanna’s crazy stalker-like behavior, Seung Gil just nodded. “Okay,” he said.

“That’s… it?” Otabek asked slowly, finally looking up from his lap.

Seung Gil nodded. “You have a very strong case in your favor. If she really takes this to court, which she probably will, there’s no doubt you will have sole custody. With a child his age, it’s very important to not disturb a routine. He’s healthy, Viktor can confirm as his pediatrician, and Hanna seems eager to show why you are the  _ lesser _ parent, not why she is  _ better _ . In court, a judge is more interested in hearing you explain yourself, not bashing the other parent. As well, there will be social services probably going to examine both living spaces. However, there is a good chance she will receive visitation rights, but if you really don’t want Jackson to have any contact with her, you can request a mental evaluation,” Seung Gil explained patiently. It was the most Yuri had ever heard the man speak, but Yuri was more focused on how Otabek would almost definitely have sole custody of Jackson.

Otabek seemed to feel the same, as he was relaxed. Yuri leaned over slightly and mumbled, “See? It’ll be okay.” Yuri took notice of the way Otabek shared with him his personal smile, and nodded, his dark brown eyes ghosting over Yuri’s face.

“Yeah. I trust you.” 

* * *

The first of March arrived faster than what Otabek thought was possible. The past two weeks were filled with being busy and getting down to business. Hanna actually got her lawyer in contact with Otabek, and then Seung Gil-- he really liked the guy, actually-- and now there was custody battle about to happen.

Needless to say, between work, Jackson, and dealing with Hanna and meeting and talking to Seung Gil (who, thank god, kept things short and sweet), Otabek was drained of energy. Luckily, though, he was able to worry less about getting bills paid and food on the table, and it was all thanks to Yuri and his family.

Today, Otabek wanted to repay Yuri, even if it was small. It was the younger man’s birthday, and Otabek promised himself he wouldn’t worry about anything besides Yuri. He allowed himself to take a day off work and Yuuri was kind enough to let Jackson stay at daycare for part of the day while Otabek gave Yuri his gift. Well-- it wasn’t so much of a gift, it was really an experience. It was warming up enough to break out Otabek’s favorite material possession: his motorcycle. Otabek wanted to show Yuri and share this important part of him with the Beta. 

Over the past couple of weeks as well, his and Yuri’s relationship got better and the normalcy returned. It was nice. Otabek was still waiting for the perfect moment to really talk it out (and then confess). He didn’t think it felt right to do so with everything that was happening. He wanted to explain to Yuri how he didn’t want to take advantage of him while he was drunk and that he hoped he wasn’t angry at him anymore; that he wanted their first kiss to be perfect because Yuri didn’t deserve less than perfection.

God, Otabek was hopeless.

 

 

Around noon and shortly after lunch, Otabek dropped Jackson off at daycare and went straight to Yuri’s house. As always, he was wearing his leather jacket, but today, he was also sporting fingerless leather gloves and combat boots. 

He knocked on the door and was soon greeted by Yuri, who looked as gorgeous and ethereal as per usual. He had some of his hair clipped back to show off his beautiful emerald eyes and was wearing a white V-neck, his gaudy cheetah-print jacket on top. Tight leggings hugged his legs, and he was wearing his just as gaudy leopard-print shoes. Otabek loved the fact that he always wore the green anklet. 

However, Otabek observed that Yuri seemed… happier? He couldn’t figure it out, but whatever it was, it made Yuri glow. It was different, but Otabek liked the look on him. 

“Happy birthday, Yura,” Otabek said first thing. Yuri grinned.

“Thanks Beka.”

“Are you ready to go? Do you need anything?” He had texted Yuri that morning, saying they were going out. He hadn’t told him anything else and Yuri angry-texted him in all caps that he was being too vague. Otabek just said it was a surprise. 

Yuri closed the door behind him as he exited the home. “I’m ready. I’ve been curious all day. What’s with the gloves?” 

“You’ll see,” was all Otabek said and smirked as they walked to his car. He opened the passenger door for Yura. 

“You’re killing me,” the blond pouted and whined as he got in the car. Otabek just laughed and got in on the driver’s side and together, they began the short drive back to Otabek’s apartment complex. Instead of going to the small parking lot behind his particular building, he drove past it to the next block, and now, they were in the complex’s parking garage. Yuri was obviously confused when Otabek parked.

“What are we doing in a parking garage? Are you planning on murdering me finally? Damn, I should have known I couldn’t trust the stranger I met on the street!” Yuri joked and Otabek laughed but otherwise stayed silent as he killed the engine and got out. Again, he opened the door for Yuri and closed it when he got out, albeit slowly and uncertain.

Otabek led him to a spot in the corner of the parking garage where his motorcycle was parked and covered. “When we met, it was getting too cold to ride, and I never had any free time without Jackson to ride. So, I thought you might want to with me? I know it’s not much of a gift, but I thought it might be fun…” Otabek spoke slowly as he uncovered his perfectly-kept motorcycle. He dared to look at Yuri’s expression, expecting to see anything but what he did: admiration and fondness. 

“You ride a motorcycle? That’s fucking awesome, Beka!” Yuri gushed. “I thought the leather jacket was just for looks,” he laughed and hugged Otabek. “Hell yeah, take me for a ride, bad boy.”

Otabek thought he was going to explode from those words and Yuri’s actions. He was acting very different, but honestly, he liked it. A lot more than he probably should. He nodded and handed Yuri a helmet. He mounted the bike and felt Yuri get on behind him. 

“Hold on tight,” Otabek instructed and he immediately felt at ease, as he always did, when Yuri wrapped his arms around Otabek’s middle as he started his prized possession up.

Yuri jumped a little at the sudden roar of the engine but otherwise was fine. Otabek started slowly, making their way out of the parking garage and revved the bike up when they came to a stop. Otabek loved the purr of the engine and the vibrations it sent through him. It was very soothing to him-- the next best thing besides Yuri and music. 

Otabek heard Yuri laughing as they began their drive, first through the suburbs, going at a leisurely pace. Soon, Otabek wanted to kick it up a notch and took them on the highway, zooming past cars and Otabek felt so  _ free,  _ as he usually did when he rode. He was enjoying it even more with Yuri clinging to him tightly. The press of Yuri’s chest to his back felt like it was burning straight through his leather and, wow, Yuri’s laugh was gorgeous and tinkling, like soft bells ringing clearly through a quiet town. He really affected Otabek in ways he couldn’t begin to comprehend.

They rode through the city, a blur of colors, and then downtown, and then down back roads that Otabek hadn’t visited since before Jackson was born, and they did it all over again. His time with Yuri he considered precious and Otabek cherished every second. After they stopped to fill up the tank, they decided to head back to Otabek’s apartment, since Yuri’s face seemed to be getting a little windburned. They took the drive back leisurely. 

“When did you even get this?” Yuri asked when they parked in the back of Otabek’s apartment building (they would switch back to the car when they went to get Jackson). 

“Oh, it was one of the first things I bought here in the states. It’s really been my only indulgence,” Otabek admitted. “I could ride in Kazakhstan so I said I would get my license if I bought it, so that’s what I did. One day… I’d like to open my own motorcycle shop instead of working on cars. Either that or start producing music seriously.”

“You should,” Yuri insisted. “Do something you love, I mean.”

“I can’t right now with my financial position, but one day, I hope.” 

Yuri nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I had a lot of fun today, Beka. We should do this more. It’s… liberating.” 

Otabek nodded. “We should. Sorry it isn’t more for your 21st…”

“Beka, seriously, don’t worry about it. This was perfect. Everybody else is probably going to give me alcohol, anyway,” he laughed. “If you really want to please me for my birthday… do you think we could go get Jackson?”

Otabek was a little surprised at the request, but not really. Jackson loved Yuri just as much as Yuri loved Jackson. He nodded and they remounted the bike and went back to the car to go get Jackson. 

When they arrived at the daycare, the moment they stepped in, everyone wished Yuri a happy birthday, but Yuri just thanked them dismissively as he found Jackson. The boy immediately gave him a hug and handed him a picture he drew for his birthday.

Art was definitely not Jackson’s strong suit, even if he was very creative. 

The picture was supposed to be of him, Yuri, Otabek, Potya, and Makkachin, but it was mostly a bunch of scribbles and lots of colors. No matter what it looked like, though, Yuri was cooing over it, holding the paper in one hand and holding Jackson on his hip with the other. Otabek  _ still _ couldn’t place a finger on Yuri’s behavior, but it wasn’t  _ bad…  _ just  _ odd. _ For Yuri. He caught Yuuri’s eyes from across the room and the Japanese man gave him an almost apologetic smile.

_ What was that for? _ Otabek shook it off. Yuri was probably just excited about being 21. 

The rest of the day was spent at Yuri’s house, all three of them cuddled on the couch, watching movies. Yuri was extra cuddly and had them all wrapped up in an unnecessary amount of blankets and pillows. Otabek found it endearing and Jackson was enjoying it, so again, he let it slide. If Yuri was happy about something, he’d probably hear about it tomorrow. 

When they left around eight that night, Yuri was more reluctant than ever to say goodnight to them. More specifically, Jackson. Otabek was eager to know what was up with him, and he came up with theories on the ride home. However, none of them really  _ fit. _ He’d ask about it later, then. 

  
  


The next morning, Otabek knew something was up when he woke up just  _ two minutes before his alarm. _ It was because his phone was vibrating with a phone call. He almost declined it immediately, but he stopped himself and the instincts within him said something was wrong when he saw that it was Yuuri calling him. He rushed to answer, knowing it was about Yuri, because Yuuri never called him. 

“Otabek?” Yuuri’s voice said softly through the phone. “Did I wake you?”

“Yuuri, hey, no, it’s fine. I’m up. Is Yura alright?” he asked groggily, sitting up in bed. 

“Oh, um, yeah,” he said slowly, as if he was piecing something together. “Could you bring Jackson here for the next week or so?”

“Why? Is Yura okay?” he asked again, now very concerned, with how he was acting yesterday and now getting a phone call from Yuuri.

“Otabek…” Yuuri tested cautiously. “Did Yuri not tell you?” 

“Tell me what?” 

“Yuri went into heat in the middle of the night.”

  
“ _ What?” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY.... YEAH... IT'S HAPPENING..... also! if i choose to write a sidefic about yuri's heat would anyone read it? 
> 
> also!! if you all wanna come scream at me (PLEASE DO) about otayuri my tumblr is @jesusasahi. please don't hesitate i love talking to new people <3
> 
> thanks for reading <3
> 
> next: will the boys FINALLY talk?


	6. still figuring it out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys finally have it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg the response on the last chapter was amazing! thank you all so so much! i know i didn't respond much, but every comment is really appreciated<3 
> 
> so everyone seemed to want a heat fic, and it's rather short, but i hope you all like it nonetheless. it's posted on my page now! <3
> 
> but here it is!!! the chapter everyone has probably been waiting for!  
> PLEASE MIND THE RATING CHANGE AND TAGS.  
> enjoyyyy
> 
> chapter title: Figuring it Out by SWMRS

Yuuri knew when Yuri’s heat was beginning. It was shortly after Otabek and Jackson had left on his birthday and Yuri waltzed dazedly into the kitchen, looking for food, where he and Viktor were sharing snacks. (Lately, Yuuri had been feeling hungrier later at night.) 

A whiff of Yurio’s scent hit Yuuri’s nose and he knew his suppressants had broken to allow the annual heat to occur. Yuuri was quick to usher the Omega back upstairs and made sure to stock Yuri’s room with waters and energy drinks and protein bars to make sure he stayed fed and hydrated during the intense week.

Of course, Yuuri and Viktor had been expecting it due to his pre-heat symptoms of being considerably nicer, cuddlier, and more willing to follow instinct for the past few days. Yuuri sincerely thought Otabek had  _ known. _ He had caught his look earlier that day when they had gotten to the daycare, and Otabek seemed receptive to it. Plus, they had hung out all day and there was no sign of disruption in their activities. 

(Then again, thinking about it after the mess of a phone call that happened the next morning, Yuuri realized they hadn’t hung out much before in the days leading up to Yuri’s birthday, and Otabek probably thought it was simply an odd day for the blond.)

However, when he called Otabek the next morning, he was a little more than shocked to find that that was  _ not _ the case. 

“ _ What? _ ” Otabek’s voice hissed through the phone. Well, at least he sounded much more awake now. 

“Um…” Yuuri said slowly. He was unsure how to feel, because if Yuri knew that he accidentally gave his Omegan status away, he would probably get yelled at hardcore by the young Russian. Then again, it was  _ Otabek _ and he would have found out sooner or later, anyway. “Yuri… is in heat….”

“As in Omegan heat? Like, Yuri’s an  _ Omega? _ ” Otabek was clearly flabbergasted.

Yuuri laughed nervously, “Aha… yeah, um… I thought you would have known… Sorry about that.” What else was he supposed to say? 

“What the fuck.”

“Sorry, Otabek, I’ll leave you to get up, sorry for waking you up! I’ll see you and Jackson around 8:30!” Yuuri said quickly, suddenly feeling rather nervous by how upset Otabek sounded. He hung up before he could hear the Alpha reply. He hoped Yuri wouldn’t too upset at him….

  
  


For the next two days, when Otabek would drop Jackson off at Life & Love, he didn’t mention anything about his discovery of Yuri’s secondary gender. It wasn’t until the third day, when Otabek came to pick him up at their house that he even acknowledged Yuri was in heat. 

Yuuri opened the door, Jackson standing right in front of him, and was going to greet Otabek kindly until an overpowering scent hit him. He felt slightly dizzy. “O-Otabek--” He had never smelled Otabek clearly or this strongly before, since each time they met he was around Viktor, whose scent had overtaken the house during his pregnancy, or at the daycare, surrounded by other Omegas. Plus, Otabek wasn’t assertive, and his scent always clung very close to him. But now, it smacked him in the face.

“Oh, sorry, Yuuri. I, um, brought this for Yuri. I wanted… I was hoping this might make it easier for him,” Otabek said, a flush brightening his tan cheeks. He held a dark hoodie in front of him, and it was the object that carried his strong Alpha scent. Yuuri didn’t fail to notice how Otabek promptly kept outside of the house, probably aware that the scent of an unmated Omega would affect him, especially since they were clearly already attracted to each other. 

_ Oh, _ Yuuri realized,  _ he  _ is  _ traditional. He’s probably asking for permission to court Yuri after this, too, huh? He’s very considerate…. _ “Oh, yeah, I’ll give it to him. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.” Otabek nodded, traded the hoodie for Jackson, and they left after Jackson said goodbye. It was a little awkward, but nothing Yuuri couldn’t handle.

Yuuri turned to head up the stairs but was met with Viktor instead. “What is that?” he practically growled, eyeing the hoodie. Yuuri hummed, slightly amused by Viktor’s reaction. He hadn’t seen his mate jealous in years.

“Calm down, Viktor. Otabek brought it for Yuri.”

Viktor’s eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. “He brought a scented piece of clothing during Yuri’s heat,” he observed plainly.

“Yes, Captain Obvious, I think you were right about him being a traditional Alpha,” he laughed, and Viktor took the hoodie from him. 

“I got it. I’m coming back and rubbing myself all over you, love, you smell too much like him, and it stinks,” Viktor said seriously but then gave him that heart-shaped smile before heading up the stairs. Yuuri sat on the couch, leaning back and closing his eyes. He hoped Yuri would figure things out with Otabek soon. They were good for each other, better than they both probably thought. 

His relaxation was disrupted when Viktor came back, looking a little rattled. “Yuuuuurriiii,” he whined, “Yurio growled at me! Can you believe that?!” 

“What?” Yuuri asked, sitting up. He had to hear this. 

“I barely cracked the door and knocked to slip the hoodie through and Yurio yanked it from me and  _ growled _ . But he seemed relieved to smell it.”

“He’s being territorial. We know he likes Otabek, he probably didn’t want to smell you around Otabek’s scent during his heat--”

“But how did he  _ know _ it was Otabek’s? He’s never smelled him before,” Viktor pointed out. It brought back the theory that they mentioned. “Do you really think they could be truemates like us?” 

They had discussed it a few times, but never in depth, just in passing. This was Yuri’s first heat since knowing Otabek, so it was hard to tell. But then again, all the signs were there. “I mean, I think there’s a good chance. If he reacted that strongly and knew on instinct... Otabek and Yuri probably never thought about it because of all the stuff Yuri’s on. It’s hard to tell like that. Maybe if Yuri ever went off his scent-blockers and suppressants we’d be able to tell. However, he could have reacted that way simply because it was the smell of an unmated Alpha.” They both seemed to agree that it was the former reason, though.  

Viktor nodded and sat besides Yuuri, rubbing his belly slowly and gently, purring at the contentment of the situation. “Well, now we know for sure how Otabek feels about our little Yuri. I just want Yuratchka to be happy.”

“Me too, Viktor. Me too.”

* * *

 

It had been almost a whole week since Yuuri’s ground-breaking phone call. Otabek hadn’t been angry, but he was still feeling confused and honestly a little hurt that Yuri kept something so big from him for so long. He thought Yuri trusted him, especially after Otabek had told Yuri everything. Otabek knew he must have been on scent-blockers, and that his odd behaviors on his birthday were typical pre-heat symptoms. Yet, Otabek had had no idea.

Also in the past week, Otabek had received an official hearing date, and it was only over a month and a half away. His anxiety was rising again and without Yuri there to help him, he felt out of place with the world. 

Jackson was missing Yuri as well, and he asked often when they were going to live together like other parents do. Otabek didn’t know how to answer that and it only made Otabek worry more about talking to Yuri, and soon. Needless to say, the past week had been torturous and extremely slow. Something in him after delivering his, ah,  _ gift _ , to Yuri had changed him. He had gotten a whiff of Yuri’s scent and he felt like he was going mad from not being around his best friend.

But today, Otabek had been extremely relieved to wake up to texts from Yuri. His heart raced and he rushed to open their conversation. 

**Yura**

> _ hey beka. _

_ >> i think we should talk soon. _

 

Otabek was relieved that it was Yuri who brought up the glaringly obvious fact, but for some reason, he needed to know that his Omega was okay first and foremost. 

Wait.

Shit.

Just because Yuri was suddenly an Omega to Otabek and they hung out a lot did  _ not  _ make Yuri  _ his  _ in any sense of the word. However, simply having the knowledge that Yuri was Omega made Otabek feel a protectiveness rise in him along with the instinct to coddle him that he never felt before. It may be true that Alphas and Omegas naturally shared deeper bonds (no matter if you were strangers or lovers) than others, but Otabek knew Yuri could take care of himself.

That didn’t mean Otabek didn’t  _ want _ to help, though. 

The fact was that they were biologically compatible and their secondary genders were meant for each other, and the bond between them was already so strong simply due to friendship, and if they so pleased, if they dared, it could increase. It was like two pieces of a puzzle fitting. Otabek wanted that more than anything now, now that he knew it was possible. 

Focusing his mind on the conversation at hand, he texted back:  _ I think that’s a good idea. When? _ He sent it and, giving in, sent another:  _ Are you feeling alright? _

Otabek was glad to see that Yuri was texting back at his usual less-than-a-minute pace. 

**Yura**

> _ i’m really tired, but yea, i’m alright. and whenever, it just should be soon. _

 

**Sent**

_ >Is tonight okay? _

 

Even through texting, Otabek could sense the urgency to finally communicate. They were both possibly a little over-eager, but he knew it was for the better. The conversation they needed had been put off more times than he could count, and it was mostly thanks to the universe. 

**Yura**

_ >that’s fine. see you tonight _

 

This was going to be a longer day than usual. 

  
  
  


Otabek’s nerves had time to build up all day. He mulled over everything that had happened in the last couple of months; everything he had done, and the thoughts of being left again were manifesting in his mind. Had giving Yuri his scented hoodie been too much? Was Yuri actually going to leave his life for good?

The rational part of Otabek’s mind knew Yuri wasn’t like that, though, and he was probably worrying over nothing. Plus, Jackson would not let that happen. He and Yuri were too close for it to even be a possibility. But that didn’t mean Yuri and Otabek had to be close…. Otabek knew he’d rather let Yuri have joint custody of Jackson rather than Hanna.

And there Otabek was again, thinking that he and Yuri could be parenting together. That was a pipe dream. Even  _ if  _ they did  _ somehow _ end up together, Otabek would never expect Yuri to take on parenting duties, between being near the end of his junior year of college and dancing. However, Otabek could and liked imagining them being mates and spoiling Jackson as a couple. How different could it be from their everyday routine? It would just be the same with a few more casual touches, added kissing, more cuddles, and extended intimacy. They both knew they cared about each other more than they ever thought was possible for how they were. 

Otabek didn’t think he wanted anything more in his life. He wanted to indulge for once in his life, and he wanted his only indulgence since having Jackson to be Yuri. Every fantasy was filled with blond hair and pale skin; every crevice in his heart that had felt empty for the past two and a half years was now bursting with Yuri, his green eyes, his angelic, rare laugh, the way he was so elegant when he would randomly practice a dance routine. Every fiber of Otabek wanted the Russian who literally came crashing into his life.

Otabek decided then that there was no way he wouldn’t tell Yuri tonight. He had to for his own sanity because pining didn’t feel good. Screw it if the time wasn’t perfect or even ideal, anything that involved Yuri could become either one easily. 

Otabek didn’t know when he walked up to the front door if he was excited to figure this out or nervous from confrontation. Probably both. He was still feeling hurt that Yuri hadn’t told him about his status as an Omega, but he knew they would talk everything out. There would be nothing left to hide from each other after tonight. 

He knocked on the door twice, and the thirty seconds that he waited felt like a lifetime. The door opened to reveal Yuri, looking a little more than shy and eerily quiet. He still looked cute, as always, and a little sleepy and disheveled. Otabek wanted to make him feel better, but what caught Otabek by surprise was  _ Yuri’s scent, full-blown and in his face. _ Like the day he had dropped off the hoodie, it was sweet and citrusy and clearly unmated and Otabek could only imagine how he smelled during his actual heat. He wanted to drink it in, but he couldn’t. He had to stay in control of his instincts. However, now, being in the Omega’s presence, he felt a little better and less  _ empty. _

“Come in,” Yuri said quietly. Otabek did and took his shoes off before the two of them walked silently to the living room. Jackson was still with Yuuri at daycare and Viktor was still at work. Otabek didn’t know if being the only two people in the house made it better or worse. 

They sat on opposing seats and silence filled the space between them. Otabek was rather uncomfortably and he could tell Yuri was too, by the way he stared pointedly at his lap and wrung his fingers individually. He had to say something.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re Omega?” he settled on, but it came out a lot harsher than he intended. Yuri looked up at him and furrowed his brow in a scowl. 

“I didn’t think to,” Yuri replied. Otabek frowned. 

“How could you forget? If you were on scent-blockers and suppressants and taking them everyday, there’s no way you just ‘didn’t think to’. That’s like forgetting to tell me your name is Yuri. It’s part of who you are.” 

“That’s exactly why I  _ didn’t _ tell you, Otabek. I don’t  _ want _ it to be important,” Yuri snapped. Otabek could already sense the anger roiling off of him. 

“Why not? You should be proud of that status, Yuri, you carry a gift--” 

“I fucking  _ know, _ Otabek! Ever since I presented, I was looked down on and thought of as weak when I’m  _ not! _ I was a freak for having the personality I do and being an Omega. I hate it, okay? Why would I think you would be different from any other Alpha I’ve met?” 

Ouch. 

“Yuri, I told you  _ everything. _ From Hanna to my family, I told you and trusted you. Was I crazy for thinking you would do the same?” 

Silence.

“I didn’t want you to think any differently of me.” A tear rolled down Yuri’s cheek and Otabek immediately felt guilty. He had never seen Yuri cry, and he never wanted to again. It broke his heart. They had never really talked about any of Yuri’s past, at least not any of his darker parts or his insecurities like they had with Otabek’s. He didn’t think now was the time to ask for anymore than he was willing to give.

“I don’t think any differently of you, Yura.”

“How could I know that? Ever… ever since New Year’s, I thought… I thought you were just fucking with me. Why, Beka? You just… played with my feelings and then avoided me like you didn’t care.”

“Yuri, that’s not what I meant to do--”

“Then what  _ did _ you mean to do? I thought it was pretty obvious when you walked away that night.”

“Yuri, please listen to me. I wanted to kiss you, I did--”

“Then why didn’t you?!” Yuri sounded absolutely crushed and angry and disappointed. Tears steadily streamed and dripped into his lap. 

“Yuri,  _ listen.  _ You were wasted. Do you think I would go so low to take advantage of you when you couldn’t think straight? What kind of Alpha would that make me? I didn’t think you would want it if you had been sober, okay?”

“But I  _ did, _ Otabek.”

Oh. Yuri did want Otabek to kiss him. That made Otabek’s heart race, and it wasn’t from nerves. 

“Oh.” Otabek couldn’t think of anything intelligent to say.

“I was going to tell you, Beka. I wanted to actually fucking talk, but then Hanna happened, and there wasn’t a time to tell you--”

“Me too, Yura. Fuck. I’ve wanted you since I laid eyes on you, Beta, Omega, whatever you are. I don’t care. I never did. I love you, Yuri. I’m sorry,” Otabek rambled on, not really thinking about his words, much less what was happening around him, and thus, didn’t notice how Yuri was stunned. “I hate seeing you cry, Yura, I just feel like shit because I didn’t mean for this to happen--” Otabek hadn’t noticed while he rambled that Yuri had gotten up and crossed the space between them and before the Kazakh registered that fact, Yuri’s soft, pink lips were on his. 

It was everything Otabek had ever dreamed of and more. It was as if his whole world tilted into place just then, as the warmth of Yuri’s lips against his spread through his body. Otabek kissed back when he finally realized what was happening, all eager. He cupped Yuri’s jaw gently, the Omega’s scent wrapping around them. Otabek knew he had lack of control due to being on scent-blockers for however long. 

He pulled back, breathless. Yuri opened his eyes slowly and muttered, “I love you, too.” Otabek grinned and wiped Yuri’s damp cheeks before he craned his neck up again to kiss Yuri. The words made Otabek feel fuzzy and  _ complete _ and he was just incredibly happy to finally know that his feelings were reciprocated.

The Omega relaxed in his touch and, oh, fuck, sat in his lap to make both of them more comfortable. Otabek placed his hands on Yuri’s waist gently, like he had on New Years. It felt so  _ right _ . Otabek relished in the soft feeling of their lips slotting together. 

When Otabek was feeling dizzy from sensation and feeling overload, he pulled away reluctantly. “That night I was so jealous of Mila. I had to have you to myself and it was so hard to control myself when you started dancing again. I was and still am in awe of you, Yura.” Yuri blushed at his words and, holy shit, it was adorable.  “And everytime I see you with Jackson I just… I want it, I want  _ us. _ Will you allow me the honor?” Otabek asked softly, hoping there was no pressure on Yuri. 

“God, you  _ are _ traditional, just like the geezers said.”

This time, Otabek was the one blushing. “You talked about me to them?”

“How could I not? They even knew before  _ I  _ did how I felt about you… I didn’t think I’d be that obvious.” Yuri averted his gaze away from Otabek. “I’ve always been good at putting up a front, but when it comes to you and Jackson it just crumbles.”

“So is that a yes?” Otabek teased with a smirk. 

“Yes,” Yuri breathed. They met in another kiss, more searing than the last. This time, Otabek allowed himself to run his hands up and down the natural curve of Yuri’s back, down the valley of his spine, and over his toned thighs. Yuri had the same idea, running his hands over Otabek’s broad, firm chest and thick biceps. All of their desires were evident and were pouring out of them in the form of a quickly developing makeout session. Yuri’s new scent invaded all of his senses and Otabek loved it. 

However, Otabek had a better idea. He pulled away slowly, Yuri’s lips chasing after his. He chuckled but became embarrassed as he said, “Can I do something?” 

Yuri gave him a look but nodded and sat in his lap patiently. Slowly, a bit hesitantly as he was worried he might scare Yuri off, Otabek buried his nose just under Yuri’s jawline where one of his scent glands was located. He took a deep breath and gladly basked in the calm scent coming from the Omega. It was no longer sour in anger or stress, but back to soft and citrusy. He wanted to scent the blond; wanted to cover this man in his scent and keep him safe and provide for him. 

He pulled back and Yuri let himself be pulled closer as Otabek rested his chin on Yuri’s shoulder, slowly rubbing his own scent glands against Yuri and allowing himself to release his pheromones for Yuri to revel in. 

The Omega visibly relaxed and slumped into Otabek, practically melting. “Fuck, Beka, you smell good,” Yuri murmured. Otabek had nearly forgotten that he couldn’t smell him before this and this was new to the Russian.

“So do you,” Otabek hummed. “I’m going to miss it.” He figured Yuri was still on his scent-blockers and suppressants, but that they would back kick in in a few days due to the heat.

“Oh, um, speaking of that… since  _ this, _ ” Yuri gestured between them, “happened, I was thinking maybe… if you want me to, I could go off my scent-blockers at least. I want, um, I want you to have me in my most… natural… form.” Yuri was blushing furiously. “I’m tired of hiding who I am. I don’t want to pretend I’m something I’m not. And I think it will be good for both of us. And Jackson.” 

For some reason, hearing that made Otabek extremely happy. He wanted to be able to protect Yuri and know him deeper, and going off scent-blockers would be a start. “Okay,” Otabek said. “I think I would like that very much.” 

The Alpha continued to scent Yuri, both of them staying quiet, but Otabek internally hoped one day they would be comfortable enough that Otabek could hear Yuri purr. (God, that would be lovely.) They stayed in the same position, Yuri curled up in Otabek’s lap, being scented. It was so intimate and relaxing. Neither of them moved when they heard the front door open. They were content with where they were. Otabek swore this was all just a dream, with how surreal it felt. He never wanted to wake up. 

Moments later, Jackson and Yuuri bared into the living room, startling both men sitting on the recliner. Yuuri seemed a little surprised but not much, as a smile appeared on his face. He seemed a little embarrassed to walk in on something so intimate, though. Jackson didn’t think anything of it and just joined Yuri on Otabek’s lap (thank God he was rather strong and both Yuri and Jackson were light). 

Otabek let out a light laugh and wrapped hi arms around them both. He finally had his two favorite people right here in his arms. This was his family. 

  
  


An hour later was normally the time he and Jackson left. However, tonight, when he hinted that it was about time to leave to Yuri, who was curled up next to him on the couch, he looked so upset. “I have to work, Yuri,” he murmured, giving Yuri’s hand he was holding a light squeeze. He didn’t want to leave.

“Stay the night,” Yuri said hastily, biting his lip. “Please. Jackson has clothes here--” 

“Okay,” Otabek easily agreed. It didn’t take much convincing because he wanted to and he could easily go by his apartment for his work clothes in the morning. There was enough reason.

“We’re spending the night, Dadda?” Jackson asked sleepily from where he was laying in Yuri’s lap. 

“Mhm, are you about ready to get ready for bed?” Otabek asked. As if on cue, Jackson yawned and rubbed his eyes. Otabek smiled and said, “Okay, love, let’s go get you changed and your teeth brushed.” Yuri sat up slowly and picked Jackson up, who rested his cheek against Yuri’s shoulder, eyes fluttering shut. Otabek pulled out his phone and took a picture because, holy shit, they were adorable, and Yuri was finally his. 

Otabek would never get tired of thinking that to himself. 

They went upstairs and Otabek had Jackson use the bathroom while Yuri got his pajamas and pull-up ready for him. Otabek helped Jackson brush his teeth, Yuri changed him into said clothes, and together, they put him in the nursery and Otabek sung him lullabies to sleep without a hitch as Yuri watched on. 

Five minutes later, Jackson fast asleep, Otabek and Yuri stood alone in the hall. “Um, do you want me to stay in the guestroom?” Otabek asked unsurely. He didn’t want to cross any lines within a day of being a thing, even though they had been making out and scenting earlier. Still. 

“Stay with me,” Yuri said all too quickly, and even in the dark, Otabek could sense that he was blushing. 

“Okay.”

They walked to Yuri’s room together and when Yuri opened the door, Otabek reeled at the potent, lingering scent of Yuri’s heat that hit him. Oh, God, he was immediately turned on. He swallowed thickly, trying to control his instincts.

“Fuck, sorry,” Yuri stuttered, blushing deeper. He rushed to the windows, opened them even though it was rather chilly at this time, and then went to his bed and began to disassemble the nest that was there.

Otabek took a few deep breaths, getting used to the scent and doing his best to block it out. Now, with more self-control, he said, “Yura, you don’t have to do that. We can sleep in it,” Otabek said softly. Nesting was a way to bring comfort and a feeling of safety to an Omega during pre-heat, the actual heat, and post-heat, as well as during pregnancy and times of stress. Nests could also be used to attract mates, and man, was it working. However, Otabek wouldn’t want Yuri to get rid of that just to compensate for the Alpha. 

“It’s lovely, Yuri,” Otabek commented, walking into the room to examine it closer. His bed was lined with pillows and blankets and even some articles of clothing. In the center of the nest, though, was Otabek’s scented hoodie. He tried to ignore the fact that it smelled heavily of Omegan heat and it looked a little stained with cum and slick. Yuri noticed Otabek eyeing it.

“Oh, um… thanks for the hoodie. It… really helped,” the Omega said, his voice smaller than usual. 

Otabek blushed and nodded. “I’m glad. Um, Yuuri told me, so I thought… well, I wanted to court you, anyway, and bringing it for you made it clear to them without me having to say anything…” 

“I know. Katsudon told me.” They stood quietly, looking around and avoiding eye contact with each other. “Otabek?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Are you sure you actually like me? You aren’t just here to fuck me because I’m Omega?”

“Yuri, I would never,” Otabek frowned. “Why would you say that?”

Yuri climbed into the nest slowly. He sat criss-cross and looked at his lap. “My first boyfriend did that. Um, I know I was only 17, but still… it left a bad taste in my mouth.” Otabek carefully joined Yuri in his nest and took one of the pale, skinny hands in one of his own thicker, tan ones. They had never talked about the darker parts of Yuri’s past, and never about either of their love lives (except for Hanna, of course). 

Yuri continued, “I presented at 16, and this Alpha was in my dance class. He wasn’t awful to be around, so when he asked me out, I was just like ‘Why not?’. I wasn’t on suppressants or scent-blockers yet. I started after this happened.” Yuri drew his knees to his chest. “We had a lot of sex, and it was fun, I guess. I didn’t feel that much for this guy, but I wanted to explore, you know? But then, I was in pre-heat and we had sex and he tried to actually claim me.” 

Otabek almost growled and held Yuri’s hand tighter. He would never let that happen. 

“I pushed him away. It was tough, ‘cause he was buff and a dancer, but luckily I’m stronger than I look. I was angry that I’d been taken advantage of and the things he  _ said _ were just…” The blond shuddered. “I just… I like you so much and… I don’t want that the happen again. After that, every time I’ve had sex has been on my own terms, but… I don’t know. I think you know by now I just run from my instincts, so it’s never been… fulfilling. Satisfying. Fun. My love life has been pretty shitty and you’re the first good thing in it.” 

Otabek had to gather his thoughts for a moment before he spoke. He was angry that someone could do anything like that to this perfect man, that any Alpha could act like that and still call themselves an Alpha. When he spoke, he was calm. “Yura, I would never hurt you. I wouldn’t even think of it. What he did to you was awful, and you didn’t deserve that. You don’t deserve that. You’re so strong, Yura, I’ve known that since I met you.” Slowly, Otabek wrapped his arms around the man and pulled him to his chest. 

“I feel like I can’t get enough of this, Beka. I don’t know why. And like, it’s been this way since I ran into you. Every time we’re apart I just feel… incomplete. God, I sound so stupid.” Yuri hid his face in Otabek’s shirt. Even though it was unspoken, the Alpha could tell that Yuri was telling him that he was scared of being hurt again. 

Otabek shook his head. “No, no, I understand completely. This past week was really shitty. That whole month we barely spoke was the worst. I felt lost without you. I don’t know why either. I’ve never felt anything like this before, but honestly, I kind of like it. I feel good when I’m with you.” 

“Me too.” Yuri looked up at him and Otabek met his eyes. He remembered thinking how beautiful they were the first time they met, and they still were. They were so green and clear and Otabek loved the ever-present fire in them. He loved this man.

Their lips met in a passionate kiss before he knew it, but he definitely wasn’t complaining. He felt slightly drunk off the scents and all the new sensations, but he loved the way Yuri’s thinner lips felt against his own fuller ones. Otabek moved a hand from his back to his hair, carding his fingers through the fine, silky strands. To this, Yuri responded eagerly with a soft moan against his lips that went straight to Otabek’s dick. He could feel the sexual tension thickening between them.

Yuri had his hands settled on Otabek’s abs, running his fingers over the toned muscle through his shirt. When Otabek gently tugged on Yuri’s hair, the blond slowly slid his hands under Otabek’s shirt. Otabek’s breath hitched slightly and the Omega pulled away. “Is this okay?” he asked breathlessly, his hair mussed and cheeks dusted red. Otabek nodded and revelled in the feeling of Yuri’s lithe hands running over his skin and through his happy trail. The skin-to-skin contact was making it hard to think straight.

“Fuck, Mila was right,” Yuri mumbled, biting his lip.

“About what?”

“You really  _ are _ daddy material.” Yuri smirked slightly and Otabek went red. 

“Jesus, Yuri, are you trying to kill me?” He knew his voice was hoarse. Yuri’s words were incredibly hot and Otabek felt like he might be dying of joy. His fantasies were finally coming to life. They went back to kissing and they let their hands wander, now that they could touch each other with free reign after establishing that it was fine. Otabek could smell something  _ new, _ and he realized that Yuri was producing slick. Fuck, it was getting stuffy in the room.

“Yuri,” the Kazakh groaned as he pulled away. “We… we shouldn’t have sex. Yet.” He wanted to set boundaries before they went any further. Yuri blushed brightly.

“Of course not. But, um… can I… can I blow you?” Otabek knew there was a reason he loved Yuri’s straightforwardness. It got him what he wanted. 

Otabek nodded slowly. He figured that the sexual tension had built up for long enough (ever since New Years, really), and it wouldn’t do any good to not do anything. They could stick to non-penetrative sex for now; he knew they’d be satisfied with it. 

Otabek was pretty much fully erect at this point, but Yuri asking for it just made it worse. Yuri grinned and kissed Otabek’s neck slowly, making a point to lick at the Alpha’s scent glands. Otabek let out soft puffs of air in pleasure. Yuri tugged on the hem of his t-shirt and Otabek got the memo to take it off, so he did. Yuri leaned back, seemingly admiring the view. His eyes were a little wide.

Otabek was still well-toned, though not as ripped as he used to be. “Holy fuck, Beka, you’re  _ hot, _ ” Yuri exclaimed. “I’ve literally tried to imagine this so much. Real life is a thousand times better.” The blond reached out and traced the ridges in Otabek’s biceps, then his pecs and down to his abs. There was a dark happy trail that began under his belly button and trailed down. Yuri traced it with a long, slim index finger and hooked the digit over the waistband of his jeans, under which the rest of his happy trail hid. 

Otabek gave a nod of encouragement and Yuri slowly undid his belt. His cock was straining against his jeans and it was quite obvious. However, stealing a glance down at Yuri, it seemed he was enjoying this just as much, so he didn’t feel too bad.

Yuri was agonizingly slow when it came to unbuttoning and unzipping Otabek’s pants. “Yura…” Otabek breathed. “Can you take your shirt off? I want to see you too.” Yuri raised an eyebrow but nodded and did as Otabek asked, revealing his lovely upper body to Otabek who had only dreamed of this. His body was slender and his collarbones prominent, but he had already known that. His gaze moved to the younger man’s pink nipples, noting how they were small and pink, and his breasts were slightly swollen from his heat. Since he was on suppressants, Otabek doubted they swelled much more than that, and probably not even with milk. 

His facial expression must have given his thoughts away, because Yuri said, “I bet you just thought something really dirty about me.” He smirked and  _ finally _ tugged at Otabek’s pants. 

“Maybe,” Otabek settled for. He lifted his hips in assisting Yuri to get his pants off. They were thrown off to the side of the nest and Yuri gaped at the sight of Otabek’s fully erect dick straining against his boxers. The tip of his cock peeked out and Yuri seemed frazzled. “Oh my God, you’re big. And you’re an Alpha. That’s saying something.” 

Otabek tried not to blush but failed. He’d been told before but this time was different. He was happy that Yuri was enjoying it; the Alpha in him wanted to please his Omega in every way, and if this was one of them, he was glad he was well-endowed. 

Yuri tugged at the Kazakh’s boxers and Otabek helped himself out of them, now fully naked. Yuri bit his lip and they made eye contact and Yuri slowly gripped his cock. His hand couldn’t wrap around it completely, but almost. Otabek gripped the sheets beneath him and held his breath as his eyes stayed locked to Yuri’s. The blond pumped him slowly before sliding onto his stomach and licking a stripe up the underside of his dick and Otabek already felt like he was going to lose it. He placed a hand in Yuri’s hair, holding it back out of his face for him.

“You are beautiful,” Otabek whispered, because it was true. He felt so lucky to be able to see Yuri like this, laid out on his stomach, his cheeks flushed in comparison to the pale skin stretching down his arms and back. His eyelashes looked long from this angle, every so often casting shadows across his cheeks. He was stunning as his tongue traced over Otabek’s deflated knot, over a vein, and as he wrapped his lips carefully around the head. He didn’t deserve such a perfect man, a perfect Omega.

Yuri pulled back slightly at his words. “Do you really have to say that when my face is this close to your penis?” Yuri said after a moment, but he was clearly flustered by the compliment if the way he looked anywhere but at Otabek’s face was anything to go by. Otabek laughed, though, because Yuri was funny, and smart, and talented just as much as he was beautiful and physically impeccable. All the qualities made him into the beauty he was.

In that moment, Otabek knew in the back of his mind that they would last. Out of everyone he’d ever been sexual with, Yuri was the first he even  _ felt _ he could laugh with during intimacy. Then, he actually  _ did _ laugh, and that was so special to him. He never wanted to let this man go, and hell if he would let him slip away. 

Otabek couldn’t think anything besides  _ I love him _ when they both came and when they cuddled up into each other, tucked into blankets in the middle of the nest, both of their scents mingling.

He wanted to make sure Yuri knew it. 

“Yura?” he mumbled into the man’s hair, his bare chest pressed to Yuri’s back. He was half-asleep and absolutely content from orgasm and simply being with the man he pined for for months.

“Hm?” Yuri responded, also clearly sleepy.

“I love you.” He smiled, more than happy that he could say it out loud. 

“I love you too, Beka. Get some sleep okay? I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

After that, sleep was easy. 

* * *

Yuri awoke rather peacefully the next morning, with warmth enveloping him, a leg that wasn’t his tucked between his own. He took a deep breath and there was _ Beka, _ who smelled like leather and roasted marshmallows at a campfire. God, he was glad he could smell again. It was liberating.

The previous day was a whirlwind in Yuri’s mind. It had gone from a little painful due to the end of his heat, to anxiety-filled, to angry, to sad, and then to extreme bliss, happiness, and pleasure, and a good night’s rest.

Yuri really didn’t want this to end. 

He thought too soon.

Otabek stirred next to him, letting out a deep hum as the Alpha stretched. “Morning,” Yuri whispered, turning from his back to his side in order to face Otabek.  _ His. _ His  _ what? _ Were they boyfriends? Mates? What exactly did Yuri agree to be to Otabek? Whatever it was, Yuri decided he didn’t really care, because he knew they were each other’s. That was enough knowledge for now. 

“Morning, Yura,” Otabek said back to him, and wow, his morning voice was just as sexy and hot as he remembered, except he’d only ever heard it over the phone. It was better in person by a long shot. He wanted to hear his name from Otabek’s mouth for forever. 

“What time is it?” Yuri asked, observing Otabek’s strong features in the morning light. His jawline was sharp, his stubble light but incredibly attractive. He was naked from the night before, only in his boxers. He had bedhead, which was adorable. 

Otabek groaned as he reached for his phone. “6:45. Why am I up. Why are you up. I thought you weren’t a morning person, Yura,” he complained, tossing his phone on the bed and rolling back over to face him. 

“I slept really well, so I don’t know,” Yuri mumbled, scooting closer to Beka to plant his face in his chest. “But if I get to see you like this, it’s worth it.”  _ God, the geezers were really rubbing off on him… _

Otabek grinned and placed a kiss at the top of Yuri’s head. “It is worth it. I better go check on Jackson; he’s probably already up.” 

Yuri whined, not really that bothered, though. He felt so happy, being a little domestic and having spent the night with Otabek sleeping next to him. “Katsudon already has coffee ready at this time, so if you want any, you know where to find it.” 

Otabek nodded and sat up slowly. “I’m gonna get Jackson first.” Yuri followed the elder’s lead and together they got out of the nest and got dressed in relative silence. It was peaceful and comfortable, unlike previous silences they shared. It was a good change Yuri noticed.

As they left the room, Yuri took Otabek’s hand and smiled when Otabek laced their fingers together and gave it a light squeeze. They walked to the nursery together to find Jackson awake, rubbing his eyes and hugging a teddy bear close to him. Yuri took note of his bed hair, very similar to Otabek’s, and the small pout on his face. It reminded Yuri that he had never babysat Jackson waking up in the morning, so this experience was new. 

Otabek dropped his hand with a soft smile and Yuri watched on as Otabek picked Jackson up, who just whined. Yuri assumed he wasn’t a morning person, either. (He knew he liked that kid…) He watched as Otabek checked to see if Jackson was wet, and then proceeded to grab the diaper bag by the door. Otabek laid Jackson on the changing table and Yuri, feeling odd, spoke before thinking-- “Beka--”

Otabek looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow in question. 

“Um-- can I-- maybe, um, fuck-- I mean frick! Frick. Can I do it?” 

Otabek laughed softly even though he had looked a bit puzzled. “You don’t have to, Yuri.” 

“I know that, but I want to…” Yuri couldn’t explain it. He never indulged in his instincts, never gave into any urges that every other Omega had and listened to. This was his chance to show he could be  _ good _ for Beka, that he was a good Omega even if he had hidden it away for so long. 

Maybe he was just trying to prove it to himself. 

But Otabek didn’t say anything further, just moved out of the way to allow Yuri to step up. “Do you know how?” he asked, and it wasn’t condescending, just pure curiosity. 

Yuri nodded, even though he was thinking  _ hell no,  _ because Jackson was good at saying “I need the potty” during the day, and hadn’t had an accident when Yuri was watching him, but perhaps he had at daycare. But he just went with it. He didn’t think much as he got Jackson out of his pajama pants and wet pull-up. He searched through the diaper bag, found the baby wipes, and wiped his hands first. He then wiped Jackson’s front with a new one before grabbing a day-time pull-up and using it to air Jackson out for a little bit. The changing part was easy, being that he did that most nights with getting Jackson into his pj’s.

Yuri didn’t even really have to think about what he did, and it showed by the look on Otabek’s face. 

“I thought you said he’s never had an accident with you.”

“He hasn’t,” Yuri said coolly as he wiped his hands down again. He helped Jackson to the floor. “I said I knew how, didn’t I?”

Otabek nodded slowly. “I didn’t expect you to be so fluent, honestly.” They began to make their way downstairs to share breakfast and coffee together. It reminded Yuri of the earliest months of their friendship, when they would meet for coffee most mornings. 

“It’s… it comes naturally,” Yuri settled for, because it was true. He was proud of himself, honestly. He had thought he would stumble into it, but it was as easy as getting himself dressed in the morning. 

“Ah— right,” Otabek said, helping himself to a cup of coffee. “Um, Yura, I don’t expect you to do anything more for me than you have already. Now that we’re… um, courting. Dating.” 

Yuri cocked an eyebrow. Did Otabek think that helping take care of Jackson was a burden to him? Knowing how Otabek overthought everything, probably. “Okay. But I’m going to still do whatever I want, just so you know.” 

That made Otabek grin. “Okay.” 

Yuri scoured the fridge for breakfast while Otabek and Jackson sat at the island. The three conversed as Yuri settled for chocolate chip pancakes for Jackson and regular ones with fruit for himself and Otabek. Yuri’s mood was obviously better to anyone who had known him for the past few months. 

As they ate together, Jackson was slowly waking up and slipping into his usual upbeat mood. When they finished, Otabek didn’t allow Yuri to take their dishes, insisting that he did it for them. Yuri had no way to refuse, so he resorted to wiping off the counters and island. Jackson made himself comfortable with Makkachin who was on the floor of the dining room. 

“Hey, Yura, I didn’t tell you yesterday ‘cause of… well, everything, and I couldn’t tell you during your heat, obviously.” Otabek kept his eyes trained on the dishes in front of him. Yuri grunted in acknowledgment. “I got a hearing date. April 27th.” 

Yuri’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit, that’s actually pretty soon.” Otabek nodded. 

“You’re gonna request a custody evaluation, right?” Yuri asked. Otabek nodded again. “Good.”

“And, um… I’m going to bring up the pregnancy. State laws protect both parent and child if there was domestic abuse, so um… Seung Gil said it should definitely work in my favor.”

“That’s good, Beka. It’s gonna be fine. Jackson isn’t going anywhere.”

“I know… I just… I don’t even want her to have visitation with him. She has issues.”  Otabek let out a sigh and turned off the water. Yuri set his wet cloth down in favor of hugging the Alpha from behind. He felt Otabek relax beneath him. “Thanks, Yura. You don’t even know how much you help me.” 

Yuri hummed and kissed Otabek’s spine. “I’m glad.” 

“I have to go to work, love. As much as I don’t want to.” He turned in Yuri’s grip, his back now against the counter. Yuri liked this position a little too much. He leaned up to snag a kiss, and Otabek responded well, kissing back slowly. It was quite innocent in comparison to every other kiss. 

Yuri smiled against the Kazakh’s lips as he felt a hand cup the back of his neck. The kiss ended way too soon for Yuri’s taste. “I gotta go stop by the apartment and drop Jack off.”

Yuri whined but said, “Fine.” 

“Jack,” Otabek called, hands still on Yuri. Jackson came into the kitchen, Makkachin trotting happily behind, her tongue lolling out of her slobbery mouth. 

“Are we going to Uncle Yuuri’s?” the tot asked, petting the poodle. 

“Yep, do you have everything you need?” Jackson nodded. Otabek slowly slipped away from Yuri, sliding out from under him. He picked Jackson up, who whined but didn’t complain after that. Together, all three walked to the front door. “Alright, say bye bye to Yura. We’ll see him tonight."

Jackson pouted but gave a small wave to Yuri. Yuri grinned and did what he always wanted to do-- he gave Jackson a small kiss on the cheek, which made the boy giggle, and Otabek was grinning as well. Yuri leaned up again to kiss Otabek’s cheek. “Have a good day at work, Beka,” he whispered, and Otabek looked a little flushed. 

“You too, Yura.” 

“Bye, Yura,” Jackson sang, still smiling. On their way out, Yuri faintly heard Jackson asked, “Are you and Yura married now?” 

_ One day, _ Yuri thought hopefully. He couldn’t hear Otabek’s response, but he was sure it would have made him smile.

  
  
  


Yuri’s day passed all too slowly. He had school that day, and there was just one thing that was nagging at him in the back of his mind and he just wanted to go home and look it up with his free time. He had dance, and it passed quickly due to it being hard in preparation for their upcoming spring competition, despite all the weird looks from his teammates. They must have realized he was absent last week due to heat because of his newfound scent. He ignored everyone, though, or told them to fuck off. Either way, they mostly left him alone.

However, he was more relieved than usual to get home. He rushed in the shower, hastily dried off and got dressed before flopping stomach-down into his nest of a bed. Yuri felt cozy and safe here, and he was internally glad that he allowed himself to revel in his instincts instead of ignore them and pretend they didn’t exist. 

Immediately he pulled out his phone and searched “ _ truemates” _ and got plenty of results. He tapped on the first link, which was an article from a highly-regarded medical site. 

 

**_Truemates vs. Soulmates and Signs You Have One_ **

_ By Dr. Takeshi Hosoya _

_ Written January 7th, 2017. _

 

_ People often use the terms “truemates” and “soulmates” interchangeably, when this should not be the case. There are defining characteristics of both. While every secondary gender can have a soulmate, only Alphas and Omegas can have truemates. It’s all about compatibility in the term truemate. _

_ The term soulmate is quite misleading, as when someone hears “mate” in the latter part of the word, they think of romantic relationships. However, soulmates can range from platonic relationships, to romantic, to sexual. Soulmates can occur in between any two secondary genders, and there is an unbreakable bond in soulmates. Soulmates, so far, mostly occur in pairs, but there is an exception where there is more than one a person is connected to by the soul.  While scientific explanation is scarce, most people know when they have found a soulmate. It is often good to talk to soulmates and ask for their personal experience.  _

_ Truemates, on the other hand, are often purely romantic. Scientific research is abundant in truemates compared to soulmates, due to their biological nature. Truemates, once again, are all about compatibility, and are not predetermined as soulmates are. A person can have more than one truemate, though most do not after being with a first. Truemates occur between secondary genders Alpha/Omega, again, purely because of biology. Signs that you may have a truemate may be immediate ease in a relationship, strong sexual desire, intenser heats/ruts, and feeling loss when not around one another. Truemates react strongly to each other’s scents during heat/rut cycles. Often, truemate relationships are confirmed after an Alpha and Omega are bonded.  More signs that you have a truemate after bonding include stronger, more intense feelings across a bond, inability to control what passes over a bond, and intense euphoria.  _

_ An Alpha or Omega can also have both a truemate and soulmate in one person. Though this is incredibly rare and special, it does happen. Relationships in this situation are often incredibly strong and intense, and truemates in this situation are impossible to find in anyone else besides the soulmate. While research is fairly new, both truemates and soulmates are important in a person’s life, but not necessary. Many couples are successful without ever having one or the other, and it doesn’t seem to affect loyalty, just the intensity and degree of a relationship. Signs differ between every soulmate and truemate, but instincts do a good job at telling a person when they have encountered one or the other, or both. _

  
  


Yuri bit his lip and backed out, deciding that scientific research was probably too broad to base his own experience off of, so he went in search of forums to look at other peoples’ signs and stories. Perhaps he could relate. 

He clicked on the first one he saw _. _  
  
  


_ Posted by  _ **_alphaxloverxgirl44_ ** _ \-- 8 weeks ago _

_ Hello Everyone! Posting a new thread because I’m curious! How did you know you had a truemate? What are your stories? What’s it like, as someone who has encountered neither a truemate or soulmate? _

 

 

**_jojo32omg_ ** _ \-- 8 weeks ago _

_ I remember the day I met my now-bonded Alpha wife. We had started a job on the same day and after we introduced ourselves I couldn’t get her out of my mind. She was perfect and I barely knew her!  _

_ However, it was so easy talking to her. I thought it was just because I’m rather friendly, but it was just different. I looked forward to seeing her at work everyday, we texted after we got off, and I hated being away from her. Finally I asked her out on a date! She said yes and we both had a lot of fun and it was like super intense after that. Like, everything happened SO FAST. We were dating for like 3 weeks when I went into heat and well, we bonded then because it felt right and we just knew. Idk, it’s very instinctual! I love her very much. If there’s anyone out there who isn’t sure, don’t worry, you’ll know when the time is right! <3 _

  
  


**_bandgeek0309_ ** _ \-- 8 weeks ago _

_ my experience is pretty similar to  _ **_jojo32omg_ ** _ ’s, but with my soulmate. i’m beta, she’s alpha. we can’t be truemates due to biology, but that has never stopped us in our endeavors. i knew she was my soulmate when we would have very similar feelings and we just connected really easily. we were best friends first, but it has now evolved into a romantic relationship which has worked wonderfully for us.  _

 

**_aroboiomega_ ** _ \-- 8 weeks ago _

_ i’m omega, met my soulmate in school, but it’s just platonic. we became best friends in the matter of days! he’s an alpha, he has a truemate, but that has never taken away from our friendship. i love him, yes, but it’s not romantic at all. :)  _

 

**_luckylucky7373_ ** _ \-- 7 weeks ago _

_ My truemate and soulmate is one person. He is my everything. I saw his picture on a dating app and something in me just  _ knew  _ he was mine. I immediately contacted him, trying not to be creepy (lol), but he seemed to feel the exact same. There was an insane connection between us, and all our friends called us gross for being so touchy-feely first thing but we couldn’t help it. It was just so amazing to know that we had each other no matter what. When we kissed for the first time it was like my whole world was set straight. It was a beautiful moment, and it was really hard to resist each other after that. We bonded a month later. No regrets. _

 

Yuri decided he had read enough replies, the last one sounding oddly similar to Viktor and Katsudon’s situation that he knew all too well. They were lucky to be part of the few who found both in one person. Yuri at least felt reassured by all the responses that he and Otabek weren’t moving too fast in comparison, but now he was seriously reconsidering if Katsudon was right about he and Beka being truemates, or soulmates even. 

He recalled the first kiss they shared after Otabek let his confession of love slip. It felt so perfect, so right and warm and everything felt complete, like putting the last piece of the puzzle together. He and Otabek had similar experiences of being inept at forming friendships, but it was so easy for them. Were all the signs there? 

 

That night, when Otabek stopped by to pick up Jackson and they exchanged perhaps  _ too  _ many kisses, he was fairly certain that he found his everything in the form of Otabek. The thought made him smile, even though he yearned for Otabek to not leave for the night. He would talk to Katsudon tomorrow about it, knowing he would probably only confirm his suspicions. Good thing that’s what he was hoping for. 

 

The next day, during lunch when he and Jackson went to visit Yuuri at daycare, Yuri decided now was the best time to ask while Jackson was distracted with his food or with other children. Yuuri was sitting down on the floor, picking up crayons and colored pencils and just doing a little bit of housekeeping.

“Katsudon,” Yuri snapped with no malice. The elder looked up at him, flashing a smile.

“Yurio,” he said in a fond tone. Slowly, being 27 weeks pregnant, he stood and put his hands on his hips, grimacing slightly. “What’s up?” 

“I… how did you and Viktor know? That you guys were soulmates… or truemates,” Yuri grumbled this, embarrassed that he was even asking because it seemed like so much bullshit. But, if he and Otabek were… well, he wouldn’t admit it, but he would be happy. 

Yuuri just smiled, not teasing or anything. Yuri, as always, was grateful. “Well, for us… I mean, it was love at first sight,” his tone turned dreamy, “and I just knew it from the moment I laid eyes on him.” The Japanese man’s face turned red. “Um, he actually was there when I started going into heat and it was rather undeniable at that point. Just like when you growled at Viktor for being too close to Otabek’s scent, I reacted strongly to Viktor. Of course, he was really careful and we didn’t do anything, but we connected really easily after that.” 

Yuri wanted to act disgusted, but he couldn’t. He  _ had  _ reacted to Otabek’s smell, he knew, but he couldn’t recall the moment. But the way he clung onto the hoodie throughout the week said a lot. It made his heat bearable. 

“I think there’s a good possibility that you and Otabek are similar to Viktor and I,” Yuuri said, as if he knew he was answering the real question in Yuri’s words. 

Yuri couldn’t help but let a little smile slip. He nodded a little, looking over to where Jackson was painting. “Thanks.”

Now, he just had to hope Otabek would muse the thought the same as he did. 


	7. overdose my mind with the things i love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri has a surprise for Otabek, Otabek trucks through the first court appearance, and the two boys spoil Jackson with love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YALL I’M BACK MERRY ELFIN CHRISTMAS and happy holidays! 
> 
> Okay. So. It’s been a lil bit and this chapter is shorter than what I normally have posted, but I think I’m just writing what feels good. 
> 
> SO. Life update: I started club everyday, started studying more Japanese instead of writing, and then I was seriously injured recently and wasn’t up for much and this just got set on the back burner. Sorry, but I’m feeling more rejuvenated now I’m on break and I got my minor surgery done! 
> 
> I’m feeling iffy about the “technical” aspects of this chapter and the upcoming chapters so that’s another reason I didn’t feel so keen on updating. But I hope you don’t mind if everything is so accurate because this is fiction and yeah<3
> 
> Also! LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL FANART FOR THIS FIC! I’M STILL SO IN LOVE  
> AAAAA: https://ladyskyblue23.tumblr.com/post/168066179624/so-this-fanart-is-based-on-the-fic-of-this
> 
> Chapter title is from Feel Good by Griffin & Illenium ft. Daya

One week.

Otabek had one week until the first hearing. Of course he had spent the last week stressing over it, breaking down multiple times before or after work, but it helped that he had Yuri there to comfort him, even though he shouldn’t have to. Otabek was still grateful nonetheless. Seung Gil had actually helped him cope quite a bit as well; stoic as ever, though. But that made it better--it wasn’t like Seung Gil was faking happiness and giving him false hope. He had been very factual, per usual, with his comfort, saying that he had all the paperwork to win and the personality and honesty, too.

“It’ll be an easy decision,” Seung Gil stated one night over the phone as they got final documents together. It had surprisingly done a number on calming Otabek’s anxiety, and he hung up after a sincere thank you.

But now, it was the Saturday night, exactly a week prior to the hearing and Otabek didn’t know how much slower time could go. He had thought he suffered enough during Yuri’s heat, but this was absolute torture. However, as Otabek had come over to pick up Jackson, he stayed for a little bit, as he usually did. Just being in Yuri’s presence took his mind off the daunting date.

“Stay the night?” Yuri asked quietly as they were cuddled up on the couch, Jackson already upstairs and asleep. He didn’t have work tomorrow, and staying the night on Saturdays seemed to have become a habit. Otabek didn’t know why Yuri was asking again.

“Of course,” Otabek mumbled into Yuri’s hair, laying a soft kiss on the top of his head. Winding down with cuddling, scenting, and kissing did wonders for distracting Otabek and keeping him from having more frequent panic attacks.

The last month of being together had been more than anything Otabek had ever imagined. His heart swelled with happiness and pride everytime he even thought about Yuri, and that honestly scared him a bit. He loved this man so much, he would do anything for him. Otabek was having a hard time “taking it slow”, because the pull within him to take Yuri all to himself in every way imaginable was sometimes overwhelming. He felt like he fell in love so quickly with Yuri, like the wall of passionate emotion hit him all at once, even though he knew in the back of his mind that it wasn’t like that. He wanted to claim this Omega, make him his completely, but he knew they still had a long way to go until that happened. They hadn’t had penetrative sex yet, even, and that was more surprising than anything. They’d seen each other naked, had taken showers together, gotten each other off many times, but there was something unspoken between them that said they were waiting.

For what? Otabek didn’t know, but he was sure that it would be worth it because it was Yuri.

“Are you ready for bed?” Yuri asked quietly. “I have a surprise for you tomorrow.”

“Yura…”

“Don’t even start. I’m treating you and Jackson tomorrow and that’s that. Got it?” His tone was firm, but not rude or harsh. It was definitely Yuri.

Otabek let out a huff and smiled. “Yeah,” he chuckled, twirling a strand of Yuri’s hair in between in fingers. It was so silky and soft, Otabek could play with it forever. Silently agreeing to not argue about Otabek being treated to a day out any further, the two slowly got up to their way to Yuri’s room. They held hands on the way there, because Otabek had discovered in the recent weeks that physical contact between them made him feel completely at ease.

It had been on his mind recently, what Yuri had approached him with nearly two weeks ago. Merely the memory made him smile and feel all warm inside.

It was rather late on a Thursday night when Otabek had left work to pick up Jackson. He had been working more and more (much like he had been doing before he met Yuri) to make up for all the run-ins with Hanna and other circumstances dealing with the custody battle and whatnot. All in all, he was tired, but feeling relieved from now being able to call Yuri his.

Despite working overtime a lot more recently, Otabek made sure he still spent some time every night with Yuri; it just made him feel better. It was so odd--of course he felt better hanging out before Yuri’s heat, but now… it was different. Otabek couldn’t place his finger on it, similarly to how he couldn’t quite figure out Yuri’s odd behavior on his birthday.

When he arrived at the house, he was greeted at the door by a shy Yuri holding a happy-looking Jackson. “Hey,” Otabek had said with a lopsided grin. Yuri offered a smile and let him inside. He felt something was clearly off, as usually, Yuri wasn’t so shy. Actually, thinking about it, he was never shy.

“You okay, Yura?” Otabek asked, taking Jackson from Yuri and greeting him as well as he allowed Yuri to take his time and collect his thoughts if need be. The two had agreed to be completely honest with each other since, so far, hiding the truth had only caused problems. But being honest included making sure they told each other how they were feeling and making sure that the other was okay--being so honest made it clear where they stood when they were uncertain about something.

Yuri nodded. “Can we talk?” he asked before he worried his bottom lip between his teeth. Otabek nodded back, his own face going serious. If Yuri didn’t want him anymore, he would learn to deal with it, if it made him happy--

“It’s nothing bad,” Yuri promised hastily, knowing that Otabek would worry if he didn’t assure him. Jackson whined in Otabek’s arms, wanting to be set down, and the Kazakh gave him a kiss on his cheek. He set the boy down and he toddled into the living room where Potya was curled on the couch. Yuri looked at his feet. “I don’t want to freak you out…”

Otabek chuckled and took one of Yuri’s clenched hands in his. “I don’t think that’s possible, Yuratchka.” Yuri relaxed a little bit at the contact and familiar nickname and together they followed Jackson’s lead and went to the living room to sit down. “I will never judge you for anything you might have to say.”

Yuri was twisting his fingers, a nervous habit. “Well, uh, I talked to Katsudon and Viktor about it, because, um, they have first-hand experience and I thought well, maybe there’s a chance… that we are actually truemates. Soulmates. I don’t know, it’s dumb, I’m sorry--” Otabek’s heart had soared at the suggestion.

However, getting to see Yuri embarrassed was a rare occurrence, so he decided to roll with it. “Oh? Why do you think so?”

“Asshole,” Yuri muttered, his face still pink with embarrassment. God, he was adorable. But, Yuri had gone with it, too, and said, “Well, when… when we’re apart I feel empty. And I knew your scent immediately getting off scent-blockers during my heat. And like, we connected so easily. So.”

Otabek had grinned widely and gave his boyfriend a smooch on the cheek. “Yeah. I think that you might be right.” He didn’t miss the way Yuri had brightened up, his embarrassment fading quickly.

“Okay.”

“Okay,” Otabek said in reply, leaning over into Yuri’s space and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He thought back to the time on Valentine’s Day when Yuri claimed to Hanna that they were truemates, which made him wonder how long Yuri had been thinking of the possibility for. He decided to ask. “Yura?”

“Hm?” the blond asked, eyes opening again.

“Did you think about us like that when you met Hanna? Or were you seriously just making it up?”

Yuri’s embarrassment seemed to come back as fast as it had left. “Well, at first I just made it up as an excuse, but I think after that I really started thinking about it; at least us as soulmates. It hurt too much at the time to think about trying to get with you because of… well, you know.”

Otabek nodded his head, quiet but understanding.

Truemates. He liked the sound of that on them.

Together, the couple got comfortable in bed, and as he always did when he was with Yuri, he fell asleep easily, his arms wrapped around the blond. His thoughts were all of Yuri and their little family. He couldn’t wait to do this everyday one day.

  
Morning came too quickly. However, the disappointment of waking up early was eased when he got to wake up with Yuri, next to him. The blond was tucked under his chin, snug against his body, the two of them covered in fluffy blankets. Yuri still had the remains of his nest, though being with an Alpha and out of heat, it wasn’t a necessity at the moment. Otabek stretched, careful of Yuri’s sleeping form, but his attempt was futile, as Yuri roused from his peaceful sleep.

“Mm, what time is it?” Yuri mumbled into Otabek’s rib.

Otabek hummed and reached for his phone that was charging the bedside table. He unplugged it and tapped the home button unceremoniously. “Seven,” he said simply. “Sorry, I guess my body is just trained to wake up at this time everyday.”

“Just a little longer,” Yuri complained, nuzzling further into Otabek. The older man hummed and made checked the baby monitor, which seemed to give no sign that Jackson was up yet. He could spare a few minutes to cuddle in the warmth that was Yuri. It didn’t take long until there was noise from the baby monitor, which caused Yuri to whine.

Otabek chuckled, kissed Yuri gently (even with morning breath, yes), and got up. He threw on a shirt to go with his sweats, and looked back at the bed to see that Yuri wasn’t getting up with him as he usually did. He exited the room with a last look and retrieved Jackson. The boy was still waking up, rubbing his eyes and pouting.

Otabek went through their usual morning routine of changing him and getting him ready for the day. “Yura has a surprise for us today, Jack. Are you excited?” he asked as he brought the boy down to the kitchen. Jackson nodded, head resting on his dad’s shoulder.

The kitchen was already raucous, with Yuuri and Viktor cooking and singing, and Yuri grumbling about how they were too loud. The smell of bacon was prominent and it seemed to perk Jackson up. “Yuurraaa!” Jackson whined, wiggling in Otabek’s hold. Otabek was both sad that Jackson wanted Yuri but entertained and very in love with the idea that Yuri was just as important to Jackson as he was.

Yuri’s grimaced morphed into a grin almost instantaneously as he got up from the island stool to take Jackson into his arms. The little boy giggled and nuzzled into Yuri immediately and Yuri stuck his tongue out at Otabek. “He likes me better,” he teased and Otabek laughed softly, wrapping his arms around them both.

“Wouldn’t you love that.”

“Jerk.”

“Who wants French toast and sausage?!” Viktor practically bellowed with that heart-shaped grin.

Jackson squealed in response, obviously excited at the prospect of sweet foods. Yuri took himself and Jackson to the dining room to sit, Yuuri following, and Otabek helped Viktor get plates served to everyone. Jackson took his seat in Yuri’s lap, Otabek next to them, and Yuuri and Viktor across from them. Together, they ate, and Otabek’s heart swelled as he watched Yuri feed his son.

He snuck a few pictures, because how could he not?

They spent the better half of the morning at Yuri’s house, Yuri taking time to work with Jackson on the piano, albeit not seriously, as Otabek got showered and dressed. Otabek got to spend almost a whole hour with Jackson in the living room, reading through books as Yuri got ready. (It still amazed Otabek how long it took for the Omega to get ready everyday. He wasn’t complaining, though.)

It was nearing noon when Yuri suddenly got up from the floor where they were working on a 24-piece puzzle with Jackson. “It’s time to go!” he announced, grinning down at Otabek where he still sat criss-cross on the floor with his mini-human in his lap.

Otabek gave Yuri a look, still weary about the surprise Yuri had in store. Despite that, he stood up with Jackson, who let out a long whine from being taken away from his beloved puzzle. “Alright, let’s go,” Otabek said, setting Jackson down and holding his hand. Yuri took the boy’s other hand in one of his own, and together, they left the home.

Yuri drove as Otabek sat in the passenger seat, unaware of where they were going or why Yuri couldn’t tell him. He trusted him, though, so he didn’t mind. The car was filled with some of Jackson’s favorite songs, from kids music like Raffy, to his favorite rock bands that Otabek liked, like Korn. He was really starting to take after his dad.

The drive was just over 45 minutes, and it really had Otabek wondering where they were going. He was unfamiliar with the area, but Yuri seemed smug when they pulled up to a rather small building, off by itself.

“We’re here!” Yuri announced with a grin as he turned the car off and got unbuckled. Otabek followed his lead, getting Jackson from the backseat, and Yuri led them inside. Otabek was a little surprised to find that there was someone waiting for them. Otabek was very suspicious now.

The guy that stood in front of them was short, with strawberry-blond hair and a radiant smile on his face. He seemed to be Asian, and Yuri seemed to be familiar with him with how they interacted. “Ah, Yuri! This must be Otabek! Welcome!” the boy said in a high-pitched voice.

“Beka,” Yuri said, turning to his lover, “this is Minami. He’s a classmate of mine and he and his family own this music studio.”

Music studio. Music studio?!

Suddenly, Otabek felt his heart twist and his eyes sting. “Yura…” His dream of producing high-quality work at least once in his life was becoming true, all because his fucking amazing boyfriend found a way to make it happen. It was one of the best surprises ever, that was for sure.

“Follow me!” Minami exclaimed, practically bouncing as he led the little family to a room bigger than the lobby. When they entered, the room was dim, only lit by the blue backlights of the switches and the rather bright screens of the computer. Otabek was practically in DJ heaven. He turned to look at Yuri with wide eyes, who was now holding Jackson and smirking with a knowing look on his face as he blatantly ignored Otabek.

Minami switched the lights on to both the mixing area and recording studio. He briefly explained some things to the still-stunned Otabek before he said, “I’ll leave you to play around! It’s yours until four!” and left.

As soon as Minami closed the door behind himself, Otabek turned to Yuri and Jackson and embraced them in a big hug. “Thank you,” he whispered, tears beading in the corners of his eyes. Yuri just hummed and Jackson giggled.

“I didn’t bring any of my music, though,” Otabek pointed out as he drew away from the hug.

“We have like four hours for you to come up with something, right?” Yuri smirked and set Jackson down. There was a little table on the floor with crayons and Legos that Yuri had requested and paid for just so Jackson could be there while his dad lived his dream. Yuri had strived to make it a family moment, he told Otabek. Otabek was more than grateful.

Not once had the hearing been on his mind that day, and the weight of it was gone when he found himself mixing a few of his favorite songs and then deciding to record an original with the provided instruments.

Otabek forgot how much he missed playing the piano until he had his fingers back on the keys, making stuff up as he went. He had been taught from a young age by his father, and had enjoyed playing until he came to the States to study. He hadn’t played since he had Jackson, and he was so glad to be able to play again.

He found a melody he liked, chords he thought sounded pretty, and recalled some lyrics he had written down at work after he met Yuri. He would need some percussion to go along with this, but piano would do. He played, sang the lyrics over and over in different ways and settled on something he thought sounded rejuvenating.

_I feel like_   
_for the first time in a long time_   
_I am not afraid_

Otabek smiled as he sang, his singing voice rough from having not sung so passionately in a long time.

_I feel like a heartbeat skip,_   
_Like an open page_   
_Like a one-way trip_   
_On an aeroplane_

Yuri’s face came to mind and Otabek’s heart did skip, with how much love he felt for this boy.

_It’s the way I feel when I’m with you_   
_Brand new_

He sang the song over again, more sure this time and regaining his confidence in his piano-playing skills from muscle memory. Otabek ran through it one last time and went to the set of drums present in the room. He wasn’t very good, but a year in high school band playing drums helped a little. Plus, Otabek liked to think he was just a natural when it came to music.

When Otabek finished with that song and exited the recording room, he found Yuri looking stunned. “What’s wrong?” he asked the blond before sitting in the chair.

“You never told me you could play the piano! I’ve had one this entire time!” Yuri whined.

Otabek blushed and shrugged. “I’m not as good as you. Plus, I’ve always been doing other things at your house. And you enjoy teaching Jackson, so I figured I had no reason to play again. Though, if I had known I’d get this chance, I would have asked to practice a bit.” Yuri grinned, and suddenly, Otabek got an idea.

“Yura?”

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to record a song with me sometime?” Otabek asked softly, a bit embarrassed by his own request. He had no reason to be when Yuri’s face split into a bright smile.

“Of course I would love to. I think we’d make pretty beautiful music, don’t you think?”

Otabek nodded, feeling starstruck, and went back to work quietly, though there was an air of confidence and hope exuding from him.

  
Otabek was so caught up in the music, in making and producing it, that he didn’t notice how much time had passed. He was finishing up a third track when Yuri placed a hand on his shoulder. “Are you having a good time?” he asked, rather shyly.

Otabek looked up at his beautiful Omega and grinned. “Yes, it’s been perfect, Yuri. Thank you so much.”

Yuri smiled, his emerald eyes gleaming with happiness. “I’m glad. I really… I hope you can follow this dream, Beka. You deserve it.”

Otabek stood from the chair he sat in and gave Yuri another long hug. He really loved this man more than he could even comprehend. Yuri gave him a squeeze before he pulled back and mentioned, “You only have about a half hour left. I think Jackson is getting a little sleepy as well.” The boy had kept himself occupied with drawing, reading, playing with the provided toys, and being fascinated with his dad playing various instruments. He’d only thrown one fit the entire time and it was because Yuri didn’t play a character in his pretend correctly. Now, though, he was increasingly quiet and Otabek knew he had to wrap it up soon before Jackson started throwing a tantrum.

Otabek saved the couple (mostly) finished tracks to a flash drive Yuri handed him and the few unfinished ones as well before he turned to Yuri who was holding a pouting Jackson, who looked ready to cry.

“Wanna go home,” he huffed when Otabek looked at him. He made to turn off the lights and they stepped out into the lobby-like area.

“Are you hungry?” Otabek asked normally, and Jackson shook his head, even though it’d been a couple hours since his last snack and he was probably (definitely) getting hungry. Minami met them at the door where Otabek thanked him profusely and Yuri watched on with a smile. As a family, Yuri, Otabek, and Jackson went home and Otabek was absolutely content for the first time in a while.

 

The day was, unfortunately, finally here and Otabek couldn’t stop shaking. It was six in the morning, and he had barely gotten a wink of sleep, despite spending the night with Yuri, where he usually slept so soundly. Yuri had woken up a few times to try and coax the anxious Alpha back to bed, but his efforts were fruitless. They had to leave in two hours to make it to the courthouse on time, and Otabek was shaking. Seung Gil was meeting them at the house at 7:30 to go over everything, but Otabek still felt like they would lose, even though he was definitely not thinking rationally.

Almost the entirety of the morning was just pure inner turmoil. He let Yuri drive because he was way too distracted. He sat shotgun with Seung Gil in the backseat, silent as ever. Yuri even blasted music in the car, but it did barely anything to keep the nerves away. Yuuri was kind enough to watch Jackson for the morning, because the court cause wouldn’t last longer than an hour, if even that long. He felt suffocated in his suit that he and Yuri had went shopping for two days prior.

Yuri had tried to say he looked good and should wear a suit more often, and while that would have normally gotten him (probably) aroused or at least smiling, it just made him more aware of the fact that this was actually happening. He could see the nerves on Yuri’s face as well, but he was much better at hiding it and didn’t have already-present anxiety issues to deal with.

Otabek was just a mess. But he had to do this; for Jackson.

When they arrived at the courthouse, Otabek was sweating bullets. He had no real reason to be so nervous because Seung Gil was amazing and Otabek knew he was a good parent, but his anxiety told him otherwise. He just hoped he wouldn’t go into a panic attack in the courtroom.

He felt slightly better when Yuri took his hand, squeezing gently and allowing his pheromones to flow freely from him. The scent washed over Otabek’s senses and he felt a little bit better, knowing that his lover, his soulmate, was right there with him, supporting him no matter what.

With the time they had to wait to get into the actual room, Otabek caught a glance of Hanna and her lawyer across the room. He turned around immediately, not wanting his anxiety to shoot through the roof before the hearing even started. Yuri seemed to have noticed and kissed Otabek’s cheek, rubbing his back in slow, comforting circles, and whispering to him about how he was going to kick ass. Otabek willed himself to listen to Yuri and at least try to believe him.

It felt like hours before the hearing started, when in reality, it only took thirty minutes to begin by the time they got there. He avoided looking up from his feet because he didn’t want to see Hanna anywhere again, even though he knew he would have to sooner or later. He preferred later, because he’d rather not have time to think about it beforehand.

There were the perfunctory things they went through, but it was quite smooth and rather quiet. Hanna was at the table to his right, looking smug and professional with her lawyer at her side, a tall man with graying hair. She was wearing a sharp, white blouse and a pencil skirt and for being a Beta, she was rather intimidating. He still thought Seung Gil was more intimidating, though, even after knowing him. Seeing her in person again just made his blood boil.

Otabek was surprised he didn’t wince the whole time Hanna and her lawyer spoke to the judge. They were bashing him, rather harshly, about all the things he expected them to talk about; his financial status, his bond status, to name the most prominent. She just compared herself to him, which angered Otabek because she wasn’t a parent and their situations were completely different. She didn’t love Jackson like Otabek did.

Otabek knew his financial situation wasn’t the greatest, but it was clear to see in all of his (necessary) documentation that it was getting better, and he needed less and less government aid to support himself while raising a child. He had Yuri’s help now, too, which was a blessing in and of itself. He was more confident about his bond status as well, now that he was actually dating Yuri and there was no awkward pretending, which would have been a lie, which would have just been bad.

Otabek let Seung Gil speak for the most part, but he did his fair share as well. He explained Jackson’s schedule almost down to the hour of each day, explained his learning and growth with documentation from his pediatrician, Viktor. Said documentation also explained why disrupting a safe, working schedule could do more harm than good in a toddler’s life, especially in regards to potty training or sleeping habits. He never gave reasons why Hanna shouldn’t be allowed to see Jackson, but he gave plenty of reasons why he should, solely.

Otabek was freaking out internally, the anticipation and anxiety building steadily in his head and chest the longer the hearing went on. He was genuinely surprised that he hadn’t had a breakdown or attack yet. Perhaps it was because he knew he had to pull through for Jackson, or because Yuri was sitting behind him, his presence and scent calming Otabek minutely, keeping him from having an attack. He would be forever grateful.

However, Otabek felt a wisp of hope in his chest as the judge brought up home visits and evaluations, and what each parent would think. Otabek agreed easily, as this was what he was hoping for, but the look on Hanna’s face was absolutely livid and he couldn’t help but feel like just maybe this was all he needed. She agreed, nonetheless. The judge ordered psychological evaluations, where a professional psychologist would be appointed to them soon (within the next two weeks), and then social workers would visit their homes in the week or so after. That would mean their next hearing would be after the home evaluations, and having to wait for what so long did no good for Otabek’s anxiety. However, he was rather satisfied that the current situation would remain the same under a temporary custody order, with Jackson under his sole care for now. He hoped it would remain the same after the evaluations and next hearing.

 _Just one more month_ , Otabek thought. _One more month until I can rest knowing Jackson is under mine and Yuri’s care alone._

 

Two weeks went by too slowly for Otabek’s liking, despite the fact that he was basically working himself to death. Yuri was always there, though, whether it be by text, call, or in person, reminding him to take a breath and calm down. Except, with it being Yuri, he didn’t use such polite words, which helped take some nerves away, easily falling into teasing and joking with his lover.

(The word lover in Otabek’s mind still hadn’t gotten old, always sending a warmth throughout his entire body and putting a smile on his face whenever he thought it.)

It was Yuri, again, who drove Otabek to the address Seung Gil had sent him merely two days prior with a quick explanation that the judge had to find one and then get them on the case. Otabek was nervous, again, and Yuri was doing his best to calm him down by blasting pheromones (he was still learning how to control himself) and running a hand over his thigh as he drove. Otabek took the time to relax as best as he could. He heard Yuri muttering, “That’s right, deep breaths,” as his thumb ran little circles over the muscle in his thigh.

A 45 minute drive later, Otabek felt rather than saw the car stop as he had his eyes closed. “It’s time, Beka,” Yuri said quietly from the driver’s seat. With that, Otabek opened his eyes and took one last deep breath before setting his jaw and nodding.

“Yeah.” With that, he got out of the car and headed into the psychologist’s office, hoping for the best.

 

Yuri was nervous for his boyfriend. He was sitting in the car, parked in the lot of the psychologist’s office, waiting for Otabek to come back out. He didn’t know how long he’d have to wait, but it’d already been a solid hour and all Yuri had done was play on his phone and listen to music through the new speakers in his car. His thoughts were elsewhere.

The first appearance in court had gone their way, with a temporary order of custody that gave Beka sole custody of Jackson until resolved. Seung Gil had said after the evaluations, it could take anywhere from three to six months for the case to be complete, depending on how fast the psychologists wrote their reports. Yuri could see the creases of worry and anxiety in Otabek’s face each time they saw each other, and Yuri just wanted to kiss them away. He wanted to keep Jackson in his arms, cuddled into Otabek’s side.

Ugh, he couldn’t wait to get home to give a big hug to the little boy. He’d slowly been coming to see Jackson as his little boy, and he wondered if Otabek would be okay with that. It was a hard subject to approach, especially knowing it would be in the middle of a time where Otabek was fighting for the boy to stay with him. He could keep the thought to himself for a little bit longer. They had other things they needed to discuss as well, like moving in together.

Sure, it was a bit fast, but they practically lived with each other already, didn’t they? Jackson was comfortable with staying at Yuri’s house, and being apart from Otabek overnight was getting harder for the Omega. It would just make life simpler. He’d have to bring it up with Otabek, and then they’d have to make sure Jackson was okay with it. Yuri smiled dreamily at the thought of being surrounded by Otabek and traces of him all day, everyday. He was apparently becoming “soft” according to Viktor, but Yuri really couldn’t find it in himself to care about appearances anymore. Being himself, letting his Omega out, felt good, and it was time after 21 years that he allowed himself to do so. He found someone he could be himself around; someone who would never judge him; someone who would love him for him, so hell yeah, he was soft.

Not to mention the fact that he was looking after a small child part-time and it made his heart sing. So, yeah, fuck Viktor, he’d be as soft as he wanted since he got Jackson out of it! These were the sort of thoughts occupying his mind as he tried to distract himself from worrying about his lover.

A whole thirty minutes later, while Yuri was still absentmindedly playing on his phone, Otabek appeared at the passenger door. It surprised Yuri a tad, but he was quick to unlock the car who he saw who it was. The raven-haired man looked relatively calm and Yuri hoped everything had gone well. Almost as soon as Otabek got in the car and shut the door behind him, Yuri asked, “How’d it go?”

Otabek shot him a soft, quick smile. “I think it went exceptionally well. Better than I thought it would, to be honest.” Yuri felt his own jitters melt away at his words. “But now I just want to go see Jack.”

Yuri nodded, quickly buckling up again. “Me too,” he breathed. He put the car in drive and they took off, headed back home.

“The lady said it might take two months to write a full report, but she’ll let Seung Gil know if it’s sooner or later,” Otabek said nearly five minutes into their drive.

Yuri groaned, letting the back of his head hit his headrest. “I just want this to be over with as soon as possible.”

“I know, love. Me too,” Otabek grumbled. “But I think it’ll be okay. It went really well.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow and took a quick glance at Otabek. The man usually was teeming with anxiety and nerves and doubt, but Yuri was glad he was feeling confident. It was good. It made Yuri feel more confident than he already felt. “Well, that’s good. Really good.” He heard Otabek hum agreeably and music filled the car as Yuri drove.

Yuri couldn’t resist himself and reached over to find Otabek’s hand, and it met his at the middle console. He smiled when he felt Otabek lace their fingers together and squeeze gently. He would have loved to look his fill, but keeping his eyes on the road was much more important. In a much more comfortable silence in comparison to heading to Otabek’s appointment, they drove home. They were both eager to shower the tot and each other in love.

 

The drive home seemed to go faster than the drive there, but both men were grateful when they pulled up in the driveway of Yuri’s home. Parking and getting out, they linked hands as they entered the house. Yuuri was home more and more due to his rapidly-growing stomach and consequent increase in the twins’ activity in his belly. So, Jackson was looked after at the house by Yuuri more and more, but of course, he had his fair share of time spent at the daycare. He still needed interaction with other children and adults.

But, as the situation was with Otabek running everywhere for this whole custody thing, keeping Jackson at Yuri’s was much easier on everyone involved. Plus, it was generally more satisfying to see the little boy run as fast as he could on his two little legs to meet them at the door and reach up for a hug, like he was doing now.

Otabek was first to pick the boy up, hoisting him up with a grunt. “You’re getting so big, Jack,” Otabek pointed out with a grin and a kiss to his cheek. Jackson giggled. Yuri swooned, watching. Yuuri came out of the living room a moment later, looking tired from the little activity.

“Jackson, can you tell your dad what you did today?” Yuuri seemed proud and Yuri was curious.

Jackson just kept giggling and hid his face in the crook of Otabek’s shoulder and neck. Yuuri just laughed and continued, “He went potty without being reminded today.”

Yuri grinned and Otabek did the same. “Jack! You’re awesome,” Otabek praised and Yuri was quick to join in on the love.

“I think he deserves a treat for that,” Yuri chimed and Otabek eyed him with a smirk. He just couldn’t resist spoiling the little tot! Jackson was very receptive to the idea, though.

“Puzzle!” Jackson exclaimed, raising his hands in excitement. Yuri laughed and took Jackson into his arms despite Otabek’s initial unwillingness to let his baby go.

“Yes, okay, we’ll get you a new puzzle,” Yuri hummed as he kissed Jackson’s face. Otabek came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Yuri’s waist, setting his chin on his shoulder and gazing at them both. Jackson seemed very pleased with all the attention.

“I wanna play piano like Dadda,” Jackson said and Yuri grinned. He always cherished the little moments he got to spend together with Jackson outside of dance practice, and “piano time” had become important to the both of them. Yuri turned his neck slightly to look at his boyfriend and his breath got all stuck in his throat.

Otabek looked so content, his head slightly tilted as he watched him and Jackson interact. His eyes were all warm and just so beautiful, Yuri felt like he couldn’t breathe. The love he felt for the Alpha watching over them was so intense, Yuri was just so in awe. His soft, plush lips were set in a soft smile and Yuri preened when their eyes met suddenly, and those same lips were pressed against his cheek. The hard line of Otabek’s nose pressed against Yuri’s cheekbone and Yuri wanted to fucking cry. What the hell?

“Would you like to join us this time? He wants to be like you,” Yuri murmured, mostly trying to distract himself from the swelling of his heart. Otabek hummed, eyes looking toward the ceiling in fake contemplation.

“Sure,” he decided a second later and then, the three of them went to the living room. Yuri kept Jackson on his lap as they sat on the bench and Otabek sat to his right.

“He’s done amazing at remembering the notes,” Yuri told Otabek, who just nodded. “We’re learning some scales now. His fingers are so short, it’s so cute,” Yuri gushed and Otabek was grinning again.

“Jack, can you show me what you’ve learned so far?” Otabek asked and Jackson nodded excitedly.

He set his little fingers on the keys and was slow to begin and finish, but both Yuri and Otabek were still smitten with his playing. It was just too adorable for words. They spent the next half hour at the piano, Yuri teaching Jackson the rest of a scale they began learning about last time. It didn’t take long before Jackson got bored and defaulted to a book.

Yuri and Otabek sat on each side of Jackson with a book in his lap and together they all read it. Yuri wanted these moments to last forever. He hoped that in a few months time, this would be a permanent fixture in his life, with no switching of houses to interfere, with no Hanna interrupting their lives.

Yuri found himself wishing clearly that Otabek and Jackson would be part of his life in all the most basic ways possible. It was just another thing to bring up with Otabek later, and Yuri found that he couldn’t wait to discuss the possibilities.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for tuning in! please let me know what you think!! i'm so excited to share this story!
> 
> if you have any questions or just wanna scream with me about otayuri either leave a comment here or come join me on my tumblr @jesusasahi !


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